Obara, L.M., Shin, GU, Balakrishnan, A., Ukoh, E., Otieno, S.A, Witte, S., Winter, S.C. A latent class analysis of coping strategies among women in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology.

Objective: Women living in informal settlements face psychosocial stressors with limited access to mental health resources. Understanding their coping strategies is crucial to informing mental health interventions that address structural inequities and promote resilience in low-resource urban settings. This study examines the coping mechanisms employed by women in Kibera and Mathare, two of Nairobi’s largest informal settlements, to manage daily stressors.

Methods: The study utilized cross-sectional data from the baseline survey of a longitudinal cohort study that examined the impact of climate change on mental health among women residing in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. The sample included 800 participants (400 from each settlement) to assess eight categories of coping strategies: emotional avoidance, self-care, substance use, mental health support, social support, religiosity, participation in family activities, and media dependence. It applied Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to identify distinct subgroups of coping.

Results: A four-class model was favored based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The largest class (51%) relied on emotional avoidance, the second largest (31%) on religiosity, the third (10%) on social support, and the fourth (8%) on health care support and family activities. Most women used emotion-focused coping strategies at 83%, while a minority of 17% adopted problem-focused coping strategies.

Implications: This study provides valuable insights into developing mental health support systems and policies that aim to assist women residing in informal settlements. The common tendency among residents to avoid expressing emotions and to rely on religious coping strategies highlights the urgent need for accessible mental health support within these communities. Community-based interventions that incorporate peer support models, culturally relevant psychoeducation, and faith-based approaches can effectively close existing care gaps. To reduce mental health disparities in under-resourced urban areas, it is important to implement scalable structural solutions that increase access to problem-focused coping resources and connect them with formal mental health services.