NCJ Number
224095
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 886-904
Date Published
August 2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined issues concerning the coping responses to intimate partner violence.
Abstract
The study findings support the hypothesis that coping responses are influenced by violence itself and underline the dysfunctional nature of disengagement coping among victims. Tests in this work of moderation consistently indicate that coping responses did not moderate the impact of intimate partner violence on symptoms of anxiety and depression, whereas tests of mediation demonstrated that disengagement coping mediated the impact of psychological abuse on distress. This study examined the role of coping as both a moderator and a mediator of the association between intimate partner violence and women's mental health. The work sought to assess which coping responses were more adaptive for women dealing with intimate partner violence, and additionally, it tested both the moderator and mediator roles for coping responses in the relationship between intimate partner violence and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A sample of 298 women who had suffered physical aggression completed measures of physical and psychological abuse, coping responses, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The study participants were taken from a sample of 1,159 women of the regional council of Bizkaia, a province in northern Spain. Women completed questionnaires as part of a larger study of psychological health in women. Tables, figure, notes, and references