Investigating Self-Efficacy in Coping with Violence, Coping Styles, and Self-Perception among Women Exposed to Domestic Violence

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between women’s self-perceptions, self-efficacy in coping with domestic violence, and coping strategies, as well as the mediating role of negative automatic thoughts and emotion regulation difficulties within the cultural context of Türkiye. The sample consisted of 479 women who reported experiencing violence from their spouses. Structural Equation Modeling was conducted using the LISREL 8.80 package program (Scientific Software International, Inc., Lincolnwood, IL, USA). Results revealed that the relationship between women’s self-perception and self-efficacy in coping with domestic violence was partially mediated by emotion regulation difficulties and negative automatic thoughts. Negative automatic thoughts had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between self-perception and problem-focused stress coping and a full mediating effect on the relationship between self-perception and emotion-focused stress coping. In addition, emotion regulation difficulties fully mediated the relationship between self-perception and emotion-focused stress coping, while partially mediating the relationship between self-perception and problem-focused stress coping. The self-perception variable alone explained approximately 37% of the variance in self-efficacy to cope with domestic violence, while self-perception, negative automatic thoughts, and emotion regulation difficulties together explained approximately 70% of this variance. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing both individual psychological factors and broader sociocultural contexts when developing interventions for women experiencing domestic violence. They suggest that therapeutic approaches targeting negative automatic thoughts and emotion regulation may enhance women’s self-efficacy in coping with violence while acknowledging that such individual-focused interventions must be complemented by systemic efforts to address the underlying causes of gender-based violence in Türkiye and beyond.