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Social and organizational Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia
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Home > Archives > Vol. 10 No. 11 (2025): published > Research Articles
ESP-4265

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2025-11-28

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Vol. 10 No. 11 (2025): published

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Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Hongyan Li, Norazlina Zakaria, Azlizamani Zubir

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How to Cite

Li, H., Zakaria, N., & Azlizamani, Z. (2025). Women’s mental health under domestic violence: Social support structures and group counseling outcomes. Environment and Social Psychology, 10(11), ESP-4265. https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i11.4265
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Women’s mental health under domestic violence: Social support structures and group counseling outcomes

Hongyan Li

Universiti Utara Malaysia, PHD, Collage of Arts and Sciences, Sintok, Kedah Daryl Aman, 06010, Malaysia

Norazlina Zakaria

Universiti Utara Malaysia, Dr, College of Arts and Science, Sintok, Kedah Daryl Aman, 06010, Malaysia

Azlizamani Zubir

Universiti Utara Malaysia, Dr, College of Arts and Science, Sintok, Kedah Daryl Aman, 06010, Malaysia


DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i11.4265


Keywords: domestic violence; women’s mental health; social support networks; group counseling; trauma recovery; empowerment; Malaysia; qualitative research


Abstract

This qualitative study examines how domestic violence affects women’s mental health and social support systems in Malaysia, and evaluates the effectiveness of group counseling as a recovery intervention. Based on 20 in-depth interviews and three NGO-led counseling groups, the findings show that survivors experience multidimensional psychological distress—including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and self-blame—exacerbated by cultural pressure and limited institutional accessibility. Family support was often absent, with survivors relying instead on friends, neighbors, religious groups, and NGOs, although access to support varied across urban–rural and ethnic contexts. Group counseling demonstrated significant positive effects by enabling emotional release, shared experiences, mutual support, and empowerment, thereby helping women rebuild confidence and social functioning. The study highlights the need to strengthen cross-sector collaboration between government agencies and NGOs, improve multilingual and culturally sensitive services, and institutionalize group counseling as part of national social-support mechanisms. These findings contribute to localized intervention research by revealing how culture, religion, and social networks shape women’s recovery trajectories in Malaysia.


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