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Battered Women's Coping Strategies and Psychological Distress: Differences by Immigration Status
Author(s) -
Yoshihama Mieko
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1023/a:1015393204820
Subject(s) - coping (psychology) , health psychology , psychology , distress , psychological distress , suicide prevention , poison control , clinical psychology , injury prevention , domestic violence , human factors and ergonomics , social support , public health , medicine , mental health , social psychology , psychiatry , medical emergency , nursing
People are rarely passive, and battered women are no exception. This study investigated the types of coping strategies women of Japanese descent (both Japan‐born and U.S.‐born) chose and their perceived effectiveness in dealing with their partners' violence. Japan‐born respondents were significantly less likely to use “active” strategies and perceived them to be less effective than did U.S.‐born respondents. For the Japan‐born, the more effective they perceived “active” strategies, the higher their psychological distress, whereas the more effective they perceived “passive” strategies, the lower their psychological distress. In contrast, for the U.S.‐born, the higher the perceived effectiveness of “active” strategies, the lower their psychological distress, and the perceived effectiveness of “passive” strategies had little effect on their psychological distress. The complex relationship between individuals' country of birth, the choice and perceived effectiveness of coping strategies, and psychological distress calls for increased attention to the role of culture in studies of coping and domestic violence.