The current study examines the predictors of three types of problem-focused coping strategies (i.e., amount of help seeking, pursuing an order of protection, and staying away from the abuser) among battered women. Predictor variables are categorized as abuse characteristics and three types of coping resources (i.e., personal, material, and social coping resources). Data from the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study (N = 478) are used. Results show that enactment of problem-focused coping strategies is associated with amount of abuse, severity, harassment, and power and control tactics. Coping resources such as general health, employment, and social support influence enactment of coping strategies.
Arias, I., & Pape, K.T. (1999). Psychological abuse: Implications for adjustment and commitment to leave violent partners. Violence and Victims , 14, 55-67.
2.
Astin, M.C., Lawrence, K.J., & Foy, D.W. (1993). Posttraumatic stress disorder among battered women: Risk and resiliency factors. Violence and Victims, 8, 17-28.
3.
Block, C.R. (2000a). Chicago Womens Health Risk Study, 1995-1998 [computer file] (ICPSR version). Chicago: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor].
4.
Block, C.R. (2000b). The Chicago Womens Health Risk Study: Risk of serious injury or death in intimate violence [online]. Springfield: Illinois Criminal Information Authority . Available at http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/index.cfm
Browne, A. (1987). When battered women kill. New York: Free Press.
7.
Bybee, D., & Sullivan, C.M. (2005). Predicting re-victimization of battered women 3 years after exiting a shelter program. American Journal of Community Psychology, 36, 85-96.
8.
Campbell, J., Rose, L., Kub, J., & Nedd, D. (1998). Voices of strength and resistance: A contextual and longitudinal analysis of womens responses to battering. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13, 743-762.
9.
Campbell, J.C. (1986). Nursing assessment for risk of homicide with battered women. Advancements in Nursing Science, 8, 36-51.
10.
Clements, C.M., & Sawhney, D.K. (2000). Coping with domestic violence: Control attributions, dysphoria and hopelessness. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 13, 219-240.
11.
Davies, J.L., Lyon, E., & Monte-Catania, D. (1998). Safety planning with battered women: Complex lives/difficult choices. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
12.
Davies, L.V., & Srinivasan, M. (1995). Listening to the voices of battered women: What helps them escape violence. Affilia , 10, 49-69.
13.
Davis, R.E. (2002). Leave-taking experiences in the lives of abused women. Clinical Nursing Research, 11, 285-305.
14.
Dobash, R.E., & Dobash, R. (1979). Violence against women: A case against the patriarchy . New York: Free Press.
15.
Dutton, D.G. (1995). The domestic assault of women: Psychological and criminal justice perspectives. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
16.
Dutton, M.A. (1992). Empowering and healing the battered woman: A model for assessment and intervention. New York: Springer.
17.
Dutton, M.A., Goodman, L.A., & Bennett, L. (1999). Court-involved battered womens responses to violence: The role of psychological, physical and sexual abuse. Violence and Victims, 14, 89-104.
18.
El-Khoury, M.Y., Dutton, M.A., Goodman, L.A., Engel, L., Belamaric, R.J., & Murphy, M. (2004). Ethnic differences in battered womens formal help-seeking strategies: A focus on health, mental health and spirituality. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10, 383-393.
19.
Ellsberg, M.C., Winkvist, A., Peña, R., & Stenlund, H. (2001). Womens strategic responses to violence in Nicaragua . Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 55, 547-555.
20.
Ferraro, K.J. (1989). Policing woman battering. Social Problems, 36, 61-74.
21.
Ferraro, K.J., & Johnson, J.M. (1983). How women experience battering: The process of victimization. Social Problems, 30, 325-339.
22.
Finn, J. (1985). The stresses and coping behavior of battered women . Social Casework, 66, 341-348.
23.
Follingstad, D.R., Rutledge, L.L., Berg, B.J., Hause, E.S., & Polek, D.S. (1990). The role of emotional abuse in physically abusive relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 5, 107-120.
24.
Gelles, R.J. (1976). Abused wives: Why do they stay? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 659-668.
25.
Gondolf, E.W., & Fisher, E.R. (1988). Battered women as survivors: An alternative to treating learned helplessness. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
26.
Goodman, L., Dutton, M.A., Vankos, N., & Weinfurt, K. (2005). Womens resources and use of strategies as risk and protective factors for reabuse over time. Violence Against Women, 11, 311-336.
27.
Hart, B. (1993). Battered women and the criminal justice system . American Behavioral Scientist, 36, 624-638.
28.
Hays, R.D., Sherbourne, C.D., & Mazel, R.M. (1995). Users manual for the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) core measures of health-related quality of life. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
29.
Herbert, T.B., Silver, R.C., & Ellard, J.H. (1991). Coping with an abusive relationship: How and why do women stay? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 311-325.
30.
Hobfoll, S.E., Freedy, J.R., Green, B.L., & Solomon, S.D. (1996). Coping in reaction to extreme stress: The roles of resource loss and resource availability. In M. Zeidner & N. S. Endler (Eds.), Handbook of coping: Theory, research, applications (pp. 322-349). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
31.
Hoff, L.A. (1990). Battered women as survivors. New York: Routledge.
32.
Holahan, C.J., & Moos, R.H. (1987). Personal and contextual determinants of coping strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 946-955.
33.
Holahan, C.J., Moos, R.H., & Bonin, L. (1997). Social support, coping and psychological adjustment: A resource model. In G. Pierce & B. Lakey (Eds.), Sourcebook of social support and personality (pp. 169-186). New York: Plenum.
34.
Holahan, C.J., Moos, R.H., & Schaefer, J.A. (1996). Coping, stress resistance and growth: Conceptualizing adaptive functioning. In M. Zeidner & N. S. Endler (Eds.), Handbook of coping: Theory, research and applications (pp. 24-43). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
35.
Horton, A.L., & Johnson, B.L. (1993). Profile and strategies of women who have ended abuse. Families in Society, 74, 481-492.
36.
Hutchison, I.W., & Hirschel, J.D. (1998). Abused women: Help-seeking strategies and police utilization. Violence Against Women , 4, 436-456.
37.
Hydén, M. (1999). The world of the fearful: Battered womens narratives of leaving abusive husbands. Feminism & Psychology, 9, 449-469.
38.
Jacobson, N.S., & Gottman, J.M. (1998). Anatomy of a violent relationship. Psychology Today, 31, 60-69.
39.
Jacobson, N.S., Gottman, J.M., Gortner, E., Berns, S., & Shortt, J.W. (1996). Psychological factors in the longitudinal course of battering: When do the couples split up? When does the abuse decrease? Violence & Victims, 11, 371-392.
40.
Johnson, H. (1996). Dangerous domains: Violence against women in Canada . Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Nelson Canada.
41.
Johnson, I. (1992). Economic, situational and psychological correlates of the decision-making process of battered women. Families in Society, 73, 168-176.
42.
Johnson, M.P., & Ferraro, K.J. (2000). Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: Making distinctions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 948-963.
43.
Kirkwood, C. (1993). Leaving abusive partners: From the scars to survival to the wisdom for change. London: Sage.
44.
LaViolette, A.D., & Barnett, O.W. (2000). It could happen to anyone: Why battered women stay (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
45.
Lazarus, R.S. (1999). Stress and emotion: A new synthesis. New York: Springer.
46.
Lazarus, R.S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer.
47.
Lerner, C.F., & Kennedy, L.T. (2000). Stay-leave decision making in battered women: Trauma, coping and self-efficacy. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 24, 215-232.
48.
Liang, B., Goodman, L., Tummala-Narra, P., & Weintraub, S. (2005). A theoretical framework for understanding help-seeking processes among survivors of intimate partner violence. American Journal of Community Psychology, 36, 71-84.
49.
Loue, S. (2001). Intimate partner violence: Societal, medical, legal and individual responses. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
50.
Mills, T. (1985). The assault on the self: Stages in coping with battering husbands. Qualitative Sociology, 8, 103-123.
51.
Mitchell, R.E., & Hodson, C.A. (1983). Coping with domestic violence: Social support and psychological health among battered women. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11, 629-654.
52.
Mitchell, R.E., & Hodson, C.A. (1986). Coping and social support among battered women: An ecological perspective. In S. E. Hobfoll (Ed.), Stress, social support and women (pp. 153-169). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
53.
Moos, R.H. (1995). Development and applications of new measures of life stressors, social resources and coping responses. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 1, 1-13.
54.
Moos, R.H., & Holahan, C.J. (2003). Dispositional and contextual perspectives on coping: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Clinical Psychology , 59, 1387-1403.
55.
NiCarthy, G. (1987). The ones who got away: Women who left their abusive partners. Seattle, WA: Seal Press .
56.
O'Leary, K.D. (1999). Psychological abuse: A variable deserving critical attention in domestic violence. Violence and Victims, 14, 3-23.
57.
Rhodes, N.R., & McKenzie, E.B. (1998). Why do battered women stay? Three decades of research. Aggression and Violent Behavior , 3, 391-406.
58.
Scarpa, A., Haden, S.C., & Hurley, J. (2006). Community violence victimization and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder: The moderating effects of coping and social support. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 446-469.
59.
Sheridan, D.J. (1992). Measuring harassment of abused women: A nursing concern. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, School of Nursing, Oregon Health Sciences University.
60.
Steutel, M.R. (1998). Womens experiences of abuse: A review of qualitative research. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 19, 525-539.
Waldrop, A.E., & Resick, P.A. (2004). Coping among adult female victims of domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence, 19, 291-302.
63.
Walker, L.E. (1979). The battered woman. New York : Harper & Row.
64.
Walker, L.E. (2000). The battered woman syndrome (2nd ed.). New York: Springer.
65.
West, C.M., Kaufman Kantor, G., & Jasinski, J.L. (1998). Sociodemographic predictors and cultural barriers to help-seeking behavior by Latina and Anglo American battered women. Violence and Victims, 13, 361-375.
