TO BE OR NOT TO BE RESILIENT: BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS IN COPING SKILLS IN ADULTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN CHILDHOOD

ABSTRACT This qualitative study was designed to explore people’s experiences of domestic violence during their childhood, and how it has affected their resilience in adulthood. It is important to understand what factors contribute to resilience, especially in those who have faced hardships to better help the future generation become resilient and grow up to be healthy adults. Exploring why some people build resilience and not others will aid in identifying factors that influence coping skills. This paper examines interviews of people who had experienced domestic violence at a young age and how it has affected their adult life. The data was collected from 8 participants who participated in a in depth interview. The data was analyzed to identify what factors played a role in resilience and explore why some people are more resilient than others. The data was organized into categories to examine common themes and identify barriers, risk factors, and what contributed to those who were resilient. This study showed the most resilient participants had at least one positive relationship with an adult caregive