Novel Approaches for

Resilience Research RelevanceChristine Wekerle, Ph.D.,

McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

Email: wekerc@mcmaster.ca

Twitter: @DrWekerle #CIHRTeamSVYoutube: ResilienceInYouth

#CIHRTeamSV Research Project: https://www.researchgate.net/project/Understa

nding-health-risks-and-promoting-resilience-in-male-youth-with-sexual-violence-experience-

CIHR-Team-Grant-TE3-13830

Resilience research part of emerging landscape:

Child Abuse & Neglect terms 2010-2014

Citation

impact:

Interpersonal Resilience

“... the capacity to foster, engage in,

and sustain positive relationships and to

endure and recover from life stressors

and social isolation.

Its unique signature is the transformation

of adversity into personal, relational,

and collective growth

through strengthening existing social

engagements, and developing new

relationships, with creative collective

actions.”

(Cacioppo et al., 2011, p. 44)

Lived Experience – Youth Voices

Wisdom- to-Action Event: From Trauma to

Resilience (#W2ATR)

Partnership with Teens Ending Abusive

Relationships (TEAR) Toronto Police VS

#TEARtalk Twitter chat Thursdays 7 pm

EST

Archived on Storify

https://storify.com/ChurchVeronique/cons

entculture-teartalk-vstoronto-whiteribbon

Watch videos from the #W2ATR event on

our YouTube page at

www.youtube.com/cyccnetwork

“There is a large number of like minded

people who feel that the, system has

serious flaws. Frontline people are not

consulted with enough … and therefore

the outcomes of research is wide of the

mark.”

Canadian Institutes of Health

Research (CIHR)

Awarded IHDCYH Video Talks 2015 The Maltreatment and Adolescent

Pathways (MAP) Research Study – Key

Findings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z

es-

PJi2OY&list=PLxWz0fEGuv6oBzjm34lYd2

ykUH8IoXkCX&index=4

For a listing of MAP Study Publications –

Please email to wekerc@mcmaster.ca

Avoidance & Dissociation for victims

“Gaze aversion” for professionals

AVOIDANCE (REJECTING PRESENT) DISSOCIATION (LEAVING PRESENT)

Art approach: Language to emotions

Toronto Alexithymia Scale Avg. Diff. - 11 PTSD studies

1) Difficulty identifying feelings, and distinguishing from bodily sensations

I am often confused about what emotion I am feeling

I don’t know what’s going on inside of me

2) Difficulty describing-communicating feelings with words

It is difficult for me to find the right words for my feelings

People tell me to describe my feelings more

3) Externally-oriented thinking style

I prefer to just let things happen rather than to understand why they turned out that way

I prefer talking to people about their daily activities than their feelings

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Control PTSD

TAS-20

Bagby, Parker, & Taylor (1994) J Psychosomatic Research Results based on Frewen et al. (2008) J Traumatic Stress

Perspectives: Art as change-maker

The idea of the work of art as part of a

process

…creation-in-process…the witnessing of

the challenges, struggles and

achievements

The statues are no longer dead in their

cases. Our histories are no longer mute.

The hierarchy of value is being replaced by

an equality of curiosity and exchange.

From Frieze.com by Nana Oforiatta-Ayim is a writer and

filmmaker based in Accra, Ghana, where she runs the cultural

research platform, ANO.

“Butcher Boys” (1986) by South African artist Jane Alexander

Why is art relevant to clinical science &

practice?

Shared methodology: Artists are experimenters

Attention naturally drawn to contrasts: hard-

edge boundaries of light and dark

Careful “vision” is an effort to separate out

impact of context on perception (“look & look

again”)

Context-dependent “seeing” (thinking)

depends on current situation and lived

experiences

Application of the formal art analysis approach

to increase perceptual acuity

The longer you look, you see a change…(Dromointerferencia Espacial 17 by Carlos Cruz-Diez)

#PicturingWellness Initiative Considering resilience across systems; part of a series of Peace

exhibits

(1) Art- & Case-Based Approach to Child Maltreatment Knowledge

(2) Art with Impact McMaster University Student Video Competition

Craig Kung, “Picturing Wellness” https://vimeo.com/125338794

(3) Picturing Wellness I & II Exhibit - McMaster Museum of Art

I: Faculty group selected from Museum collection that resonated

with theme of trauma to resilience, from their client base

(pediatrician, adolescent medicine, palliative care, child abuse

& neglect specialty team, child developmental disability,

psychiatry, family medicine)

Using formal art analysis approach, coached to write art piece

reflection

Pamphlet with child abuse & neglect definitions (law),

prevalence and population research, permissive and mandatory

reporting; help resources

II: Contemporary art pieces

“Errata”: Catherine Heard

“Tensor Teddy” - Michelle Bellmare

Thank you for your attention!

We invite you to submit resilience work to www.in-car.ca, International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience – Submit by August 1st