Table 6.

Theme 3: Problem avoidance coping and distraction coping.

Findings	Categories	Theme
Participants indicated that alcohol helped them to forget and to cope [U]	Harmful substance use	Problem avoidance coping and distraction coping
She denies that her partner is responsible for his actions [C]	Dissociation
To cope with the abuser, she finds excuses for her abuse [C]
Many women dissociate the abuse from the “real man” and attributing it rather to factors that he does not have control over [C]
Emphasized femininity or good womanhood (role as good wives, mothers, and homemakers) [U]	Internalizing harmful gender roles
Fulfilling the role of mother [C]
Internalization of dominant prescriptions of femininity [C]
Preserving the two-parent family form [C]
IPV is normalized [U]	Normalization and minimization
Normalization of IPV [U]
Minimization of IPV [U]
Children helped these women to cope [U]	Children
Their children were their goal in life and helped them go on [C]
Children as a source of inspiration [C]
Some abused women are able to identify their own courage, wisdom, and resilience and are able to view themselves as capable human beings [C]	Motivation
Resilient due to their inherent motivation [C]

U, Unequivocal; C, Credible.