Gender, role in domestic violence as victim or perpetrator and coping strategies in Uganda: implications for gender-inclusive counsellors

ABSTRACT This study investigated the extent to which male and female, victims and perpetrators of domestic violence in a Ugandan urban sample engage different coping strategies. One hundred and twenty males (n = 60) and females (n = 60) participants from Kampala, Uganda, were recruited for the study from two agencies.: A two by two MANCOVA was conducted to explore the impact of role and gender on sub-scales of coping strategies (lie was controlled). The independent variables were role and gender. The results show statistically significant differences between victims and perpetrators on problem-solving and social support coping strategies (dependent variables). No differences were reported in results for males and females and there was no gender interaction. For role F = .4.986, p= .003; Pillai Trace = .117; partial eta squared = .117. For gender F = .199, p= .897; Pillai Trace = .005; partial eta squared = .005 . When the results for dependent variables were considered separately, differences of statistical significance were problem-solving strategy (F = 462.664, p= .041, partial eta squared = .036) and social support coping strategy (F = 4.261, p= .000, partial eta squared = .112). Post-hoc tests only showed significant differences between victims and perpetrators. Thus, although results revealed statistical significant role differences between victims and perpetrators in engaging coping strategies, the results revealed no gender differences in engaging coping strategies. This implies that males and females equally engaged in social, problem-solving and avoidant coping strategies at more or less the same rate. Thus, this study’s findings reveal appropriate coping strategies which will aid counsellors offering counselling services to victims and rehabilitation services to perpetrators to be gender-inclusive counsellors.