Responding to Mixed Messages and Double Binds: Religious Oriented Coping Strategies of Christian Battered Women

Abstract

This paper explored the impact of religion on Christian women's experiences of male perpetrated domestic violence. A review of the extant research relative to this issue revealed that little is known about the relationship between religion and experiences of domestic violence. Participants in the Memphis, Tennessee area were asked to describe the relationship between their religion or faith and their experiences of domestic violence. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed within a grounded theory methodological framework (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings highlight the diverse and at times conflicting religious oriented coping strategies employed by Christian battered women to survive violence perpetrated by their spouse or intimate partner.