Marital Resilience of Adult Women Who Witnessed Family Violence in Their Childhood

• Main Authors: chen chun chin, 陳純瑾
• Other Authors: Li Tsui shan
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/74519717049888719297

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 兒童與家庭學系碩士班 === 98 === The purpose of this research was to address the resilience in the marriages of women who in their childhood witness violence between their parents. We explore participants' experience of their own marriage difficulties and participants' resilience of perceiving and dealing with it. The research is conducted by qualitative research methods such as purpose sampling and semi-structured in-depth interview. Eight participants, women from east and north Taiwan, who have witnessed spouse abuse between their parents over 13-30 years, are now still married and are satisfied with their marriage. Their age ranged from 35 to 51 years and they have been married for 5 to 25 years. The finding shows the marriage difficulties for these adult female who witnessed marital violence are: a) overreacting to similar childhood scenarios, b) low self-esteem, c) unconscious power struggling and d) reproducing the behavioral patterns of their parents. Participants all expect a better marriage life than their parents'. For this expectation, these former-witnesses found resources within and outside marriage in the form of significant others, related learning program and religious faith to transform their old beliefs on marriage. On the ground of transformed beliefs, they cope with marital difficulties by developing positive actions and new interaction patterns with spouse. Recommendations for future research and practice implications in this field are offerd in the end of the paper. Firstly, to assist witnesses with their marriage difficulties and to find their strength during the adversities, in addition to existing professional expertise, practitioners ought to pay attention to the view of resilience. Secondly, inviting witnesses who have overcome marriage difficulties to group counseling with witnesses going through the adversities. Success experience could encourage other participants to have positive aspiration on marriage and to develop marital resiliency.