Violence against women is a complex issue by the multiplicity of elements of analysis that converge on it. This study aimed to characterize the impact of violence on women and their ways of coping. The study was exploratory and descriptive, and adopted a qualitative methodology, the participants were 10 battered women, filed a complaint in a Police Office for Women. Data collection took place through semi-structured interviews and data analysis used the software Atlas / ti 5.0 and Grounded Theory. We identified the impact of violence on women by insomnia, emotional instability, suicidal ideation and social isolation and coping strategies that were focused on dialogue with friends, family and coworkers, in search for social gatherings and the use of measures, such as attempted separation, leaving home and denunciation. It is considered that the data obtained subsidize and qualify interventions and care of abused women.
battered females; violence; coping behavior