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Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
From the eyes to the heart through the

collection of art images: A preliminary study
on the traumatic symptoms and psychological

well-being of orphans of femicide

1
2
Cristian Di Gesto *, Conny Leporatti , and Elisa Chiappinelli 3
1 Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of
Florence, 50135, Florence, Italy
2 Institute of Family Therapy, Centro Co.Me.Te. Empoli, 50053, Florence, Italy
3 Edela Association; Working Group for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, Order of Psychologists
of Tuscany, 50127, Florence, Italy

Abstract

Intimate partner homicide refers to the murder of family members, often women,
resulting in trauma for the surviving family members. Although extensive
research has focused on establishing predictors of gender-based violence, little
is known about interventions for orphans of femicide. The present study aimed
*Corresponding author: to investigate the associations between the use of art images, the perception of
Cristian Di Gesto
(cristian.digesto@unifi.it) traumatic symptoms, and overall psychological well-being. This study involved 84
orphans of femicide who were subjected to viewing the images of the “Trauma”
Citation: Di Gesto C, Leporatti C, and “Resources” categories of the Collection of Art Images and were administered
Chiappinelli E, 2023, From the eyes
to the heart through the collection a questionnaire to assess the quality of experience viewing the art images, the
of art images: A preliminary study impact of traumatic events, the frequency and severity of traumatic symptoms,
on the traumatic symptoms and and their psychological well-being. The results showed that the frequency and
psychological well-being of orphans
of femicide. Arts & Communication, severity of traumatic symptoms were negatively associated with psychological
1(2): 0337. well-being. In addition, the perceived quality of the experience with art images
https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.0337 exhibited a positive association with psychological well-being while displaying
Received: March 16, 2023 a negative correlation with both the perceived severity of symptoms and the
Accepted: July 26, 2023 intensity of traumatic events. The experience of trauma appeared to reduce the
participants’ levels of psychological well-being, consequently exerting a negative
Published Online: August 23, 2023 impact on their life satisfaction. Moreover, the quality of the experience with art
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). images acts as a buffering factor and capable of attenuating the perception of
This is an Open Access article both the frequency and severity of traumatic symptoms as well as the intensity
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution of traumatic experiences. This, in turn, fosters heightened levels of psychological
License, permitting distribution, well-being. Photo-elicitation tools, such as art images, appear to facilitate
and reproduction in any medium, individuals’ exploration of their emotional experience, thereby enhancing meta-
provided the original work is
properly cited. representative skills concerning trauma and favoring the integrative self and
“emotional catharsis”.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Keywords: Femicide; Trauma; Orphans; Collection of art images; Psychological
affiliations. well-being

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.0337