Turnings and adaptations in resilient daughters of battered women

Purpose: To examine the major life-turning points and adaptations of adult daughters of battered women, as a means of describing the dynamic of resilience in daughters of battered women. Design: A convenience sample of 10 community-based adult daughters of battered women in 1995. Methods: Two unstructured, tape-recorded life history interviews lasting 3-5 hours each and an investigator-developed self-report of significant life events. Results: Seven major turnings and six adaptations were identified and described. Conclusions: The findings indicate that these resilient adult daughters of battered women were able to experience formidable life events and to overcome them, but not without suffering. The women's adaptations resulted from a confluence of individual and environmental characteristics that are amenable to nursing interventions. © 2001 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Duke Scholars

Author Janice Carrol Humphreys School of Nursing