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Childhood Victimization and its Impact on Coping Behaviors for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

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Abstract

This study explores patterns of victimization and coping in a conservative Christian denomination. Four types of coping behaviors are identified: informal coping, professional help-seeking, negative coping and crisis outreach. While religious behaviors are less influential than expected for this particular population, current victimization and childhood victimization play a significant role in establishing a model of coping and help-seeking for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in faith communities. Childhood victimization acts as an aggravating factor, predicting negative coping with IPV. At the same time, childhood victimization significantly increases the likelihood of seeking professional help. The study adds to the body of knowledge by contributing to a better understanding of the impact of childhood victimization on coping and help-seeking.

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank Dr. Janna Heyman for her direct support with the statistical analysis, and overall research methodology; and to the Fordham Westchester Writing Group (Graduate School of Social Service) for their critical feedback that contributed to the better quality of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, 400 Westchester Ave., Room 128, West Harrison, NY, 10604, USA

    Marciana L. Popescu

  2. School of Social Work, Southern Adventist University, Chattanooga, TN, USA

    Rene’ Drumm

  3. Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

    Smita Dewan

  4. School of Social Work, Southern Adventist University, Chattanooga, TN, USA

    Corneliu Rusu

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  1. Marciana L. Popescu
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  2. Rene’ Drumm
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  3. Smita Dewan
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  4. Corneliu Rusu
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Correspondence to Marciana L. Popescu.

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Popescu, M.L., Drumm, R., Dewan, S. et al. Childhood Victimization and its Impact on Coping Behaviors for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. J Fam Viol 25, 575–585 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-010-9317-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-010-9317-5

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