Iranian Women’s Strategies for Coping with Domestic Violence

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Behavioral coping strategies may lead to either increased or reduced violence or associated stress, while also affecting psychological outcomes. To help abused Iranian women cope better with domestic violence and to provide better care for them, it is crucial to investigate their strategies for coping with domestic violence. Objectives: This qualitative study explores strategies used by Iranian women to cope with domestic violence. Materials and Methods: This study uses a qualitative design, based on a content analysis approach. The participants comprised 24 married women, selected from parks, health centers and two colleges located in Tehran, Iran. The purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants and continued until data saturation was reached. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to gather data. Results: During data analysis, a situation management theme emerged together with two categories, comprising the strategies of violence and the strategies of distress control. The results show that participants try to control violence and distress it causes by managing abusive situation. Conclusions: Unlike common stereotypes that reveal women to be submissive and passive in face of violence, results show that participants in this study cope with violence using consciousness and creativity, and by relying on available resources. An understanding of coping strategies used by abused women should help health staff to provide better care for such women and encourage them to use more effective strategies. Keywords: Coping; Strategies; Intimate Partner Violence; Domestic Violence; Wife Abuse; Iran Language: en