Battered Women - Factors Influencing Whether or Not Former Shelter Rsidents Return to the Abusive Situation

• NCJ Number: 102408
• Author(s): C A Dalton
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 214 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. University of Massachusetts doctoral dissertation

Annotation

This study identifies the factors that determine whether or not a battered woman leaves a shelter to return to the abusive relationship.

Abstract

Forty women who had been in a shelter for at least 10 days consented to an extensive exit interview which provided information on personal background and relationship factors, beliefs and attitudes about battering and the battering relationship, and aspects of the shelter experience. To obtain information on behavior after returning to the abusive relationship, respondents were mailed a brief followup questionnaire 6 weeks after leaving the shelter. Women with a history of childhood abuse were likely to return to the abusive relationship, as were women with tolerant attitudes toward battering. Women who believed that important people in their lives favored the reconciliation were also likely to return to the abusive relationship. Women who blamed themselves for the battering were likely to return, as were women who attributed the violence to a relatively unstable factor. Factors that made return less likely were close relationships with other shelter residents, identification with a shelter role model, and an extended period in the shelter. Implications are drawn for policy and research. Tabular data, study instruments, and 70 references. (Author abstract modified)