Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1059-5434

Date Available

5-15-2025

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/School/Program

Sociology

Faculty

Claire Renzetti

Faculty

Nicole Breazeale

Abstract

This dissertation explores how participation in a Therapeutic Horticulture program may support the self-efficacy of survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. Through a thematic analysis of interviews with 45 women living at a domestic violence shelter in Lexington, Kentucky, this study investigates whether and how gardening activities contributed to participants’ belief in their abilities to shape outcomes in their lives.

Findings are organized around Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy: enactive mastery experiences, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological/affective states. These insights contribute to feminist criminology and trauma-informed care literature by illuminating the transformative potential of nature-assisted healing programs.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.163

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