Coping strategies of African migrant women

African migrant women who are the victims of partner abuse are less likely to access services due to cultural and language barriers in an American study (Ting, 2010). Health professionals are often the first point of contact for migrant women and are in the unique position to screen for abuse and provide referral and intervention (Ting, 2010). Understanding migrant/refugee women’s experiences of abuse and their coping behaviours is important in making effective interventions. African migrant women in Ting’s (2010) study used a range of coping strategies such as:

1. Hoping for change and thinking the relationship will get better. Initially, many women coped with abuse through wishful thinking that the abusive behaviours would stop on its own, or hoped that their husbands would change:
   “I had hope he would change since in my family, my father had changed. We went to live with my grandparents when my father was abusing my mother. They talked to my father, and he changed. He stopped, so I had hope my husband would too. Some men do. I believed it was possible.” (Ting, 2010).
2. Looking to the future. Women coped and endured for the future good of their children:
   “I was comforted by the fact that my children all turned out to be independent, upstanding. I see their success and I felt I did the right thing for them by staying, for all the opportunities they are getting here, that they would not get in Africa.” (Ting, 2010)
3. Seeking God’s help and comfort in prayers, having faith. The majority of women felt their faith in God helped them cope. There were some who took comfort in their personal relationship with God:
   “I prayed; I felt comfort in praying. At night I read the Bible where it said, ‘that I will be with you, as you travel, when you are suffering, I am with you.’ So that was comforting me, that God was with me.” (Ting, 2010)
4. Believing in God’s will and divine justice.  Not only was religion and faith a comfort to African women in the study, the belief in God’s will and divine retribution allowed women to cope with the abuse:
   “Yes, I had to believe in God. “Oh God, you are might and you are great. You are the God who cannot fail to know everything. You hear my prayers; your eyes are sharp and see everywhere. You know where I am, how I am suffering.” I believe that God will take care of me, that God has a reason for having me suffer, and I believe that God is just, that God will punish my husband for what he did to me. Someday I will get justice and he [her husband] will get his punishment.” (Ting, 2010)
5. Do nothing: stoicism, fatalism, and acceptance of fate. In addition to accepting God’s will, women accepted their fate as women in a male-dominated patriarchal culture. Many women reported that they felt they were not able to do anything, and the best thing to do was to be stoic and not fight back. This submissive behaviour was a coping strategy that allowed women to escape from further violence and abuse.
   “I just let him have his way; it [his anger] will pass. I did nothing, since if I do something, he beats me more.” (Ting, 2010).
6. Using behavioural distraction. Women described the use of behavioural distractions, such as focusing on their children and focusing on being grateful for their relationship with their children. Women’s special bonds with their children helped them cope:
   “My son, he is very protective of me; he tells me when he grows up, he will take care of me.” (Ting, 2010).
7. Cognitive reframing, avoiding, denying, and minimising the abuse. Most women minimised the severity of the abuse:
   “In my country, it is okay for men to discipline their wives. I told myself this was not abuse, this was “normal discipline.” Other wives I know said the same thing, “oh yes, my husband hits me too; that’s normal,” so that is how we believed, and how we all survived.” (Ting, 2010).
8. Believing in oneself, a sense of self-efficacy. African women survivors also described believing in themselves and their ability to survive the abusive relationship. Women’s narratives reflect this sense of self-efficacy:
   “Women from my tribe, we are strong - we are survivors. We accept pain; women are the ones who bear children. I just tell myself, “Yeah, I’ve lived [today], and tomorrow I will live too.” (Ting, 2010).
9. Receiving affirmation and emotional support from family. While some women’s narratives indicated that their families were barriers toward their help seeking, several women spoke about their sense of relief and affirmation when they reported the abuse and their families believed them. Despite the families not being able to do anything about the abusive situation since they were so far away, women reported that the verbal and emotional support from the family helped them feel less isolated and able to cope.
10. Talking to others informally. For some women, it was very helpful to tell others what was happening:
    “I cried with my co-workers; I told women at work. I couldn’t hide what was going on. It was too much to keep to myself.” (Ting, 2010).
11. Seeking services and formal sources of support. Formal help seeking was also described by women:
    “Going to [support] group was good. They are [African] women like me there, been through the same things. We are together. I learn many things I didn’t know about that helped me, like the “cycle of abuse” and it is not my fault.” (Ting, 2010).