The coping mechanisms of low-income women : a grounded theory analysis of subjective descriptions of coping

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The primary goal of this cross-cultural study was to determine how low-incomefemale farm workers in the Western Cape of South Africa, describe their owncoping mechanisms. Eight participants were asked to respond to an open-endedquestion on how they cope with life's difficulties. The current study formed part ofa larger project entitled: Forgotten women on farms. The psychological distressand resilience of female farm workers of colour in the Western Cape: exploringthe possibilities for mental health support (Kruger, 1998).The coping interviews were analyzed by means of grounded theory. Analysisrevealed that 28 coping mechanisms were identified by the participantsthemselves. A distinction was made between problem-focused copingmechanisms and emotion-focused coping mechanisms. Out of the 28 identifiedmechanisms, 8 were categorized as problem-focused coping mechanisms, while20 were categorized as emotion-focused coping mechanisms, suggesting thatthe participants predominantly employ emotion-focused coping mechanisms. Itwas also found that the emotion-focused coping mechanisms employed by theparticipants often involved an avoidance of emotion.The findings were discussed by:(i) Critically discussing the way in which emotion-focused coping is traditionallydefined within the coping literature.(ii) Comparing this to the conceptualization of the role of emotion by authors oftrauma literature.Possible reasons for the prevalent use of emotion-focused coping mechanisms inthis particular population were provided. The implications of these findings forassessment of coping strategies and for mental health care in this populationwere discussed.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University