Coping as a Mediator and Moderator in the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Outcomes Among Women

Experiencing IPV is a significant stressor that adversely impacts victims’ mental health. Extensive research has shown that coping strategies used to manage adversity play a crucial role in the psychological adjustment process. This study explores how coping functions as both a mediator and a moderator in the relationship between intimate partner violence and women’s mental health. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 200 help seeking ever- partnered Sinhala speaking women representing diverse socio-economic backgrounds who were in the 18-49 years age group recruited from ten women help centers from five districts in Sri Lanka. The sample, selected through multi-stage sampling completed a several standard and validated instruments including a several sections of the translated and pre-tested Women’s Health and Life Events questionnaire of WHO measuring psychological distress, and physical and sexual abuse, Brief COPE and the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory. Results revealed high prevalence of IPV, with 96% reporting physical abuse, 100% psychological abuse, and 81% sexual abuse. The hypothesis of coping as mediator referring to a mechanism through which intimate partner violence influences distress symptoms was not supported. Sobel’s test of indirect effects showed that coping did not mediate the relationship between IPV and distress (z = 0.76, p > .05, ß = .02). However, tests of moderation revealed that coping strategies significantly moderated the association between IPV and psychological distress (b = -0.01, t(198) = -3.15, p