Control, coping, and victimization in dating relationships

This study examined the role of perceived control and coping in mediating the relationship between violent and nonviolent negative relationship events and women's experience of distress. Results based on the responses of 48 victims of dating relationship violence and 74 nonvictims indicated that perceived control was negatively related to distress for victims but not nonvictims. While both victims and nonvictims engaged in both problem- and emotion-focused coping, and different patterns of coping emerged for the two groups, appraisals of control were not related to choice of coping strategies for violent or nonviolent negative relationship events. Psychological distress was not significantly predicted by coping strategies or the interaction of control and coping for either type of event of for either group. These results suggest that control appraisals may be particularly important in reducing distress for victims. However, appraisals of perceived control may place them at increased risk for abuse in the long run, as victims are unlikely to be able to control the violence as it escalates in both severity and frequency over time.