Understanding Coping Mechanism in Black Women After Sexual Victimization

• In Event: Feminist Criminologists of Color on Coping and Survival Responses to Crime and Injustice by Girls and Women of Color

Abstract

Coping functions as a way to understand and find meaning in experiences. It also functions as a way to maintain or regain control after a stressful experience that has resulted in a feeling of loss of control. This is especially true in instances of sexual violence for Black women. This paper addresses the importance of how Black women cope with stressors such as sexual assault and the negative or positive impact the coping method has on their lives. Only by incorporating the intersections of race, class, and gender along with its social and psychological influence will it be possible to address the effects of sexual oppression of Black women and to potentially develop ways to foster help-seeking among Black women.

Author

• LaDonna Long, Roosevelt University