Navigating Stress: Coping Profiles of Women in Kenyan Informal Settlements

Background and purpose: Women living in informal settlements - defined as areas lacking durable housing, access to basic infrastructure, and secure tenancy - are more susceptible to extreme weather events (e.g., floods, heatwaves, cold spells) and mental health stress. To better understand the lived experiences of residents of informal settlements and work collaboratively with communities to develop strategies to improve mental health and well-being, we must hear from them about how best they cope with such challenges. The aim of this study was to understand the combinations of coping strategies used by women in informal settlements to tailor programming that meets communities’ needs and strengths and honors the ways that women have and continue to navigate challenges in their lives.

Methods: As a part of a large community-participatory, longitudinal study investigating the impacts of climate change on women’s health and mental health, we analyzed data on women’s coping strategies collected through monthly surveys (September 2022- February 2023) completed by a probability sample of 800 women living in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. At baseline, a measure of coping was implemented which listed 14 types of coping strategies that participants were asked to endorse if they used them.

Results: Latent Gold 6.0 was used to construct models ranging from one to six latent classes, employing multiple sets of starting values. Findings indicate that models featuring three or four latent classes could be considered, as LMRT and BLRT p-values suggested. While there was minimal discrepancy in model quality based on entropy, with a slight preference for the 4-class solution, the posterior probabilities for class membership fell below 0.80 [57]. Considering the model's quality, interpretability of the latent classes, and adherence to the parsimony principle, we concluded that the four-class model represented the most optimal choice. Research findings identified four distinct coping classes. Class 1, comprising 57% of the participants, primarily used avoidant mechanisms, showing limited engagement in proactive coping strategies such as mental health support or mindful practices. Class 2, encompassing 28% of the sample, primarily engaged in passive coping, with minimal utilization of family activities or mental health support and a high prevalence of sleep disturbances during stress. Class 3, representing 8% of the women, more actively managed their emotional responses to stress, frequently employing religious practices and social support, but also reported a significant incidence of inactivity in response to adversity. Class 4, the smallest group at 7%, reported the most diverse array of coping strategies, including substantial use of social support, mental health services, and family activities. Overall, few coping strategies, such as seeking mental health support, exhibited consistent probabilities across classes.

Conclusions and implications: The variability in coping strategies across these classes highlights the complexity of stress responses in challenging environments, suggesting that social work interventions should be tailored to different womens' groups' specific coping profiles and resources.