Value of Honors College nursing student’s research ‘is immeasurable’

Madelina Yates is researching a topic this summer that could save lives. 

The rising junior nursing major from Williamsburg, Virginia, is working on research that she hopes will reduce the risks of suicide by victims of sexual assault.

Referencing statistics from the Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds, “and that,” Yates explained, “leaves some survivors with various psychological consequences that present uniquely to every patient.”

Forensic nurses act as the “first responders in sexual assault cases as they carry out examinations, treatments, safety plans, etc.,” continued Yates, who, once she graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Radford, plans to pursue a career in forensic nursing. 

“As suicide rates continue to climb,” Yates said, “it is imperative that forensic nurses readily know signs a survivor might be experiencing suicidal ideation as there are proven associations between suicide and sexual assault.”

It is important, too, Yates noted, for assault survivors and their peers to understand the risks and associations to aid in the mitigation alongside forensic nurses.

Yates’ research idea came as a suggestion from her project mentor, Donna Boyd, a professor of anthropological sciences and director of Radford’s Forensic Science Institute.

“This is a project that I care deeply about,” Boyd said. “Suicide after sexual assault is a little-studied phenomenon and a risk following rape that most people are not familiar with.”

A few years ago, Boyd lost a friend to suicide. “Her friends have been left with the lingering, painful question of what they could have done to help her and prevent this tragedy,” Boyd explained. “This was the impetus for my recruitment of this project for Madelina. It fit perfectly with her passionate commitment to become a forensic nurse.”

The project began as a project in a forensic science research course taught by Boyd. 

The student and professor began with collecting and reading background sources and developing a research hypothesis, which is “briefly summarized,” Boyd said, “as the psychological mal-effects of sexual assault.” Those effects, she said, may include depression, guilt, post-traumatic stress and negative self-image, which can result in high risk for self-harm and suicide following sexual assault.”

Boyd helped Yates locate many of the sources and encouraged her to seek conversations with individuals working in forensic nursing to learn about their program and best practices, as well as local community leaders at places such as rape crisis centers and women’s resource centers. 

Yates is conducting her research this summer with the help of Radford’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program, which aims to foster a community of undergraduate student research and engaged scholarship during the summer months.

SURF funds a variety of projects for students to engage in an original, intellectual or creative contribution to a discipline. Each SURF is a $3,400 award made to undergraduate students and their faculty mentors. Students receive $2,400, while $500 goes to the faculty mentor and up to $500 can be used for supplies.

With SURF funds, Yates, an Honors College student, said she plans to create and print “readily available informational pamphlets on risk factors, what to expect from a sexual assault examination, facts about the known psychological effects of sexual assault and resources survivors may find useful. Ideally, the pamphlets would reside on campus and in clinics, hospitals and counseling centers.”

“Dr. Boyd inspired my research topic to begin with, and I felt very passionate about it and agreed it would be very beneficial for the community and myself in the future in the forensic nursing field,” Yates said. “She's gone out of her way at conferences to put my name out there and talk with forensic nurses to learn more about it and how we can all collaborate. She challenges me in a way that is respectful but not lenient. She expects only the best from me and other students because she knows the potential.”

The same can be said for the Radford nursing faculty. “They have been there for me every step of the way,” Yates said. “Not one professor has ever been bothered by me asking for extra help or asking too many questions.”

Yates’ inspiration to earn a BSN at Radford and enter the nursing field came from her mother, Jill Yates ’00, a Radford University alumna and critical care nurse with more than 20 years of experience tending to the well-being of others.

“I grew up watching people’s lives saved and changed because of her,” Yates said of her mother. “She acted as a true role model for me. I knew I wanted to be a nurse because I have a tendency of putting myself in other people’s shoes. Having an empathetic personality really motivated me to become an advocate for people who could not advocate for themselves.” 

The value of Yates’ work “is immeasurable,” said Boyd, an adjunct member of the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Western District.

“We are seeing a rise in suicide rates in younger individuals in the OCME recently,” the professor said, “undoubtedly linked to declining mental health in many of these individuals — to be able to save even one life from Madelina’s raised awareness of the risks and harm associated with sexual assault is invaluable.”