Leave or stay? Battered women's decision after intimate partner violence

J Interpers Violence. 2008 Oct;23(10):1465-82. doi: 10.1177/0886260508314307. Epub 2008 Feb 28.

Abstract

Battered women's reasons for staying with or leaving their male partners are varied and complex. Using data from the Domestic Violence Experience in Omaha, Nebraska, a discrete-time hazard model was employed to examine a woman's decision based on four factors: financial independence, witness of parental violence, psychological factors, and the police response to the domestic violence call. Findings regarding the first three factors are consistent with previous findings. However, a negative police response did not deter a woman from leaving, which is a different finding from previous studies.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Battered Women / psychology*
  • Crime Victims / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Middle Aged
  • Nebraska
  • Power, Psychological*
  • Risk Factors
  • Social Environment
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Spouse Abuse / psychology*
  • Spouses / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Women's Health