Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
ICSA 2025 Conference - Montreal, QC
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Emma Antelo, Andrea Escudero
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Abstract: Survivors of abusive and high-control groups face a unique and complex set of emotional, cognitive and social challenges as they work to rebuild their lives while healing from profound trauma. Coping refers to the ways individuals respond to stressful or traumatic events, as for example by seeking emotional support, planning, self-blaming, denying or avoiding certain feelings. Research shows that adaptative coping strategies can mitigate the adverse psychological effects of interpersonal violence. However, little is known about the specific coping style and strategies that former members of these groups use during their recovery after leaving the group. Thus, the objective is to identify profiles of coping styles in victims of abusive groups, and their relationship with the psychological abuse and psychosocial distress experienced. In this empirical study, more than 400 former members from different religious, pseudo-therapeutic, pyramidal, and other groups have shared their experiences. Through Latent Profile Analysis, we identified distinct coping profiles based on the 14 different coping strategies described in the literature. Are certain coping profiles more likely depending on factors such as gender, age joining the group, time since exit, or whether the person has received psychotherapeutic treatment? How has the abusive group experience shaped these coping responses? Are certain coping profiles linked to higher levels of psychological and social distress? By exploring these questions, our findings may help to understand the victimization and recovery experiences of survivors of abusive groups, highlighting the role of coping strategies in managing both trauma and dayto-day life. Furthermore, these insights may help to guide therapists and counselors in providing more tailored adjusted support for this population.
ICSA 2025 Conference - Montreal, QC
-
Emma Antelo, Andrea Escudero
-
Abstract: Survivors of abusive and high-control groups face a unique and complex set of emotional, cognitive and social challenges as they work to rebuild their lives while healing from profound trauma. Coping refers to the ways individuals respond to stressful or traumatic events, as for example by seeking emotional support, planning, self-blaming, denying or avoiding certain feelings. Research shows that adaptative coping strategies can mitigate the adverse psychological effects of interpersonal violence. However, little is known about the specific coping style and strategies that former members of these groups use during their recovery after leaving the group. Thus, the objective is to identify profiles of coping styles in victims of abusive groups, and their relationship with the psychological abuse and psychosocial distress experienced. In this empirical study, more than 400 former members from different religious, pseudo-therapeutic, pyramidal, and other groups have shared their experiences. Through Latent Profile Analysis, we identified distinct coping profiles based on the 14 different coping strategies described in the literature. Are certain coping profiles more likely depending on factors such as gender, age joining the group, time since exit, or whether the person has received psychotherapeutic treatment? How has the abusive group experience shaped these coping responses? Are certain coping profiles linked to higher levels of psychological and social distress? By exploring these questions, our findings may help to understand the victimization and recovery experiences of survivors of abusive groups, highlighting the role of coping strategies in managing both trauma and dayto-day life. Furthermore, these insights may help to guide therapists and counselors in providing more tailored adjusted support for this population.
