Heather Mitcheltree, Cleo Valentine, Ian Hosking, Koen Steemers, Minna Sunikka-Blank and Arnold Wilkins have published a recent journal artice on visual stress within family and domestic violence refuges in Australia. This study introducing a new approach to trauma-informed design and examines how visual elements in family and domestic violence (FDV) refuges may impact wellbeing.
Using a novel Visual Stress Analysis tool (ViStA), developed at Cambridge, the team analyzed 60 images from two purpose-built Australian refuges to assess how design elements like contrast, spatial frequency, and patterns affect trauma-exposed individuals. This work marks an important evolution from general neurophysiological research to targeted application in spaces serving vulnerable populations.
This interdisciplinary work brings together expertise from architecture, engineering, psychology, and design research demonstrates how interdisciplinary approaches can help to address complex social challenges, and support design for wellbeing among trauma-impacted populations.
Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2025.05.004