Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a pervasive global public health challenge that affects millions of
women and has severe mental health consequences such as depressive symptoms. Existing research
has largely focused on the direct effects of intimate partner violence on women's mental health, with
insufficient attention to resilience as a potential protective factor that may alter the IPV and depression
relationship. This study investigated the moderating role of resilience in the relationship of IPV and
depressive symptoms of women. Participants in the study were 417 women in intimate partner
relationships drawn from Enugu state, southeast Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was
employed in the selection of participants. The authors used the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-
Depression Scale, Abusive Behaviour Inventory, and the Brief Resilience Scale for data collection.
PROCESS macrofor SPSS multiple regression was used to analyze the data. Findings showed that
physical violence and psychological violence were positively associated with depressive symptoms.
Resilience moderated the relationship between psychological violence and depressive symptoms.
Interventions for persons experiencing IPV should include programmes designed to empower them,
especially those women experiencing psychological violence, to develop resilience as a strategy for
coping with and overcoming their challenges.
Publication Date: 2026-06-20