The Effect of Self-Efficacy on the Association Between Social Support and Relationship Alternatives Among Female Intimate Partner Violence Victims

This study examined the meditational effect of self-efficacy on the relation between enacted social support and perceived quality of relationship alternatives among an economically disadvantaged community sample of 101 female intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. Three types of support—directive guidance, nondirective guidance, and positive social exchange—were positively associated with self-efficacy. In each case, the effect of enacted social support on perceived quality of relationship alternatives was fully mediated by women’s self-efficacy. Support in the form of tangible assistance was unrelated to women’s self-efficacy. Above and beyond the impact of each type of social support, non-White ethnicity and frequency of physical violence were negatively associated with self-efficacy. However, race and violence frequency did not impact the mediational effect of self-efficacy. These findings support the inclusion of women’s support networks in advocacy and therapeutic work with IPV survivors.