Domestic Violence, Social Support, Coping and Depressive Symptomatology among South Asian Women in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study examines the links between domestic violence, coping strategies, perceived social support, and mental health outcomes among a cross-section of 131 South Asian women in Hong Kong. Our findings show that domestic violence, maladaptive coping, and perceived lack of social support were significantly linked to greater depressive symptomatology, accounting for 35% of the total variance in depressive symptomatology. Results also indicate that for domestic violence survivors, frequent use of maladaptive coping was related to the presence of more depressive symptomatology. Strategies to reduce the burden of women’s mental health distress should include early determination and prevention of domestic abuse and stressors, increased social support, and efforts to promote alternative behaviors and skills in coping with stressful life situations.