The Protective Functions of Social Support and Coping for Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Abuse

This study evaluated two alternate models exploring protective factors in the relationship between intimate partner abuse and health: one in which social support was proposed to mediate the violence-health relation, and a second in which coping was proposed to mediate this relation, while social support would moderate the abuse-coping relation. Women were administered questionnaires measuring coping, social support, violence, and health status. Relationship violence predicted mental health status only, although mental health did predict physical health. Coping was found to serve as a mediator between abuse and health. Implications for future research and clinical applications are discussed.