Coping Strategies Adopted by Women Who Experienced Intimate Partner Violence in the Context of Social Norms in Rural Areas in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has detrimental effects on the welfare of women. Research on the coping strategies employed by rural women in Zimbabwe is notably lacking, despite the fact that the majority of Zimbabwean women reside in rural areas. Therefore, this study sought to explore the strategies that women in rural areas used to manage and cope with IPV. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, and participants were recruited through the purposive sampling method in Chimanimani Rural District, Eastern Highlands, Zimbabwe. Face-to-face interviews using a narrative approach were conducted with 25 women between 19 and 49 years and seven key informants. The 25 women consisted of women who had left abusive relationships and were selected on the basis that they should have experienced IPV in their former relationships. Current IPV victims were excluded from the study. All the interviews were recorded, with participants’ consent, to avoid loss of data. Data was analyzed by the author and an additional independent data analyst using thematic analysis. Findings from this study revealed that social norms influenced participants’ covert coping behavior, which include acceptance of abuse and prayer. There is need to strengthen the existing coping strategies that are utilized by women as these could be the starting point for intervention efforts. This is important as it enables practitioners to develop context-specific and context-driven intervention strategies that will effectively serve the victims in their distinctive situation(s).