title: Coping Self-Efficacy Moderates the Association Between Severity of Partner Violence and PTSD Symptoms Among Incarcerated Women.
abstract: Previous research indicates self-efficacy may function as a protective factor for survivors of partner violence (PV), including coping self-efficacy specific to domestic violence. We hypothesized that domestic violence coping self-efficacy would moderate the association between recent PV and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a sample of incarcerated women, such that the association between PV and PTSD would be strongest at low levels of domestic violence coping self-efficacy. Participants (N = 102) were incarcerated women who reported PV in the year prior to incarceration. They were aged 19-55 years (M = 33.57, SD = 9.32), identified predominantly as European American (84.3%), American Indian (15.7%), and Hispanic (14.7%), with 80.4% completing high school or more in terms of education. Participants responded to self-report measures of PV, trauma history, domestic violence coping self-efficacy, and current PTSD symptoms. In a series of sequential regression analyses, PV (β = .65, sr(2) = .06, p = .017) was significantly associated with current PTSD symptoms above and beyond past trauma history (β = .37, sr(2) = .14, p < .001), and this association was moderated by domestic violence coping self-efficacy (Domestic Violence Coping Self-Efficacy × Partner Violence; β = -.54, sr(2) = .03, p = .044). The relationship between PV and PTSD symptoms was greatest at low and average levels of domestic violence coping self-efficacy and nonsignificant at high levels of domestic violence coping self-efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of assessing domestic violence coping self-efficacy in incarcerated women with recent PV, given that domestic violence coping self-efficacy appeared to be protective against symptoms of PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: DeCou
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA.
authors.forename: Trevor T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D065840:Protective Factors; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D055815:Young Adult