Coping strategies among women exposed to Gender-Based violence in Turkey

Aim To understand coping strategies used by women experiencing gender-based violence and living in Turkey. Coping is a cognitive and behavioural strategy that individuals develop to manage stress, generally categorized as emotion-focused or problem-focused coping. Women exposed to gender-based violence develop various coping strategies to manage stress and its adverse mental and physical health effects. Design Qualitative study using the phenomenological approach. Methods Data were collected in Turkey by using the snowball technique (n = 17) between September 2019 and September 2020. The Clinical Ethnographic Narrative Interview is the source of the qualitative data for this study. Data were coded manually and utilized the RADAR technique. Results Seventeen women aged 25-40 were included in this analysis. Women stated that they were exposed to more than one type of gender-based violence according to their lived experiences. Analysis of the nature of coping strategies revealed five main themes. The themes were self-competence, separation from others/isolation, getting professional help, having faith and social support. Conclusion Breaking the silence and listening to gender-based violence experiences from survivors' voices contribute significantly to literature. There was a dearth of research on Turkish women's gender-based violence survivors; the research intended to address that gap. The participants highlighted that they would like to receive more attention and felt relief in sharing their experiences. Impact The Clinical Ethnographic Narrative Interview is a great tool to explore narratives of gender-based violence and coping skills of women. The study explored coping strategies of Turkish women's gender-based violence survivors. The participants indicated their emotion-focused and problem-solving coping strategies and shared their stories. This study will enhance efforts to concentrate on gender-based violence among Turkish women and inspire other researchers, practitioners and policymakers to change and provide more opportunities for the benefit and well-being of these women.

Automated summary

The study aims to understand coping strategies used by women experiencing gender-based violence in Turkey. The findings reveal that women employ various coping strategies, such as self-competence, separation/isolation, seeking professional help, having faith, and social support. The study highlights the importance of breaking the silence and listening to survivors' voices, as well as the need for more research on gender-based violence among Turkish women.