Predicting the Timing of Women's Departure From Abusive Relationships

• NCJ Number: 229763
• Journal: Journal of Interpersona Violence Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 50-65
• Author(s): Subadra Panchanadeswaran; Laura A. McCloskey
• Date Published: January 2007
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): 90CA.1409; MH51428
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study sought to identify those contextual forces that affect the timing of women's decisions to leave violent relationships.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate forces that affect the timing of women's exit from violent relationships with men. Abused women were recruited from posters in the community and battered women's shelters, interviewed, and followed up for 10 years. Data for this study are based on 100 women and were analyzed using event history analysis. Age, ethnicity, and alcohol consumption levels of both partners predicted the timing of women's termination of abusive relationships. An interaction effect showed that women who scored above the mean on an index of physical aggression and who never used shelter services had the longest trajectories of violence exposure; severely abused women without shelter use were more likely to stay. Our findings indicate that women who receive shelter services endure shorter periods of violence than women who do not access such services. Further outreach, especially to women experiencing high rates of physical aggression, is recommended. Figures, tables, and references (Published Abstract)