Stress and Coping Strategies in Women With and Without Intimate-Partner Violence Experiences

Background: Intimate-Partner Violence (IPV) is considered a disastrous social phenomenon. Apparently, women are more likely to suffer from the negative impacts of this problem. This study aimed to study and compare vulnerability to stress and coping strategies in women with and without IPV. Methods: This study was a descriptive and cross-sectional research. The study sample was recruited by convenience sampling method. A total of 70 women with IPV and 70 women without IPV were matched by age and educational level. The relevant data were collected by Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and analyzed using 1-way ANOVA in SPSS (V. 22).  Results: The findings revealed a significant difference between coping strategies used by the two groups; women with IPV employed more emotional-focused coping strategies compared to women without IPV (P<0.001). Moreover, vulnerability to stress in women without IPV was less than the women with IPV experiences (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the findings, it is recommended that the coping strategy skills of women experiencing IPV be enhanced and their marital conflicts be resolved.