nach oben

Journal of Family Violence

Erschienen in:

01.08.2007

The Dynamics of Staying and Leaving: Implications for Battered Women’s Emotional Well-Being and Experiences of Violence at the End of a Year

verfasst von: Margret E. Bell, Lisa A. Goodman, Mary Ann Dutton

Erschienen in: Journal of Family Violence | Ausgabe 6/2007

Einloggen, um Zugang zu erhalten

Abstract

Much of the discourse on intimate partner violence assumes that women must end their relationship with their abusive partner to increase their safety and emotional well-being. Few studies, however, exist to support this assumption. Equally problematic, those studies that do exist have failed to distinguish women who leave and stay out from those who leave only to later return. Comparing emotional well-being and experiences of violence for 206 low-income, primarily Black battered women following different relationship trajectories, this longitudinal study found that women both separated from and together with their partner for the entire year of the study fared best at the end of that year compared to women “in” and “out” of the relationship over time. Beyond challenging common assumptions, these findings highlight the importance of considering the larger context within which an individual instance of leaving occurs.

Although we recognize that many of our participants continued to experience abuse during the course of the study such that their symptoms were not “post” traumatic, we nevertheless utilized a measure of PTSD because many women experience PTSD symptoms (along with many others) even in the context of ongoing violence.

With regard to these latter two points, however, we should note that the causal direction could also be the opposite, that levels or changes in levels of violence over time may have been what led to the different relationship courses, rather than vice versa.

This conclusion makes sense only if women in the completely apart group were equivalent to women in other groups on variables such as the length of the relationship, duration of the violence, time since the most recent incident of violence, whether the most recent event was the first violent incident, or whether the most recent event was the worst violent incident, since otherwise some of these completely apart women might actually have been together then apart women (in that we do not know what their relationship status was prior to Time 1). This equivalence did exist in our sample, however, as none of these variables were significantly different across groups.

American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.

Anderson, D. J. (2003). The impact on subsequent violence of returning to an abusive partner. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34(1), 93–112.

Anderson, D. J., & Saunders, D. G. (2003). Leaving an abusive partner: An empirical review of predictors, the process of leaving, and psychological well-being. Trauma Violence & Abuse, 4(2), 163–191.CrossRef

Anderson, D. J., Saunders, D. G., Yoshihama, M., Bybee, D. I., & Sullivan, C. M. (2003). Long-term trends in depression among women separated from abusive partners. Violence Against Women, 9(7), 807–838.CrossRef

Andrews, F., & Withey, S. (1976). Social indicators of well-being: Americans’ perceptions of life quality. New York: Plenum Press.

Arias, I., Lyons, C. M., & Street, A. E. (1997). Individual and marital consequences of victimization: Moderating effects of relationship efficacy and spouse support. Journal of Family Violence, 12(2), 193–210.CrossRef

Baker, P. L. (1997). And I went back: Battered women’s negotiation of choice. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 26(1), 55–74.CrossRef

Bell, M. E., & Goodman, L. A. (2001). Supporting battered women involved with the court system: An evaluation of a law school-based advocacy intervention. Violence Against Women, 7(12), 1377–1404.CrossRef

Belle, D. (1982). Social ties and social support. In D. Belle (Ed.), Lives in stress (pp. 133–144). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Berk, R. A., Newton, P. J., & Berk, S. F. (1986). What a difference a day makes: An empirical study of the impact of shelters for battered women. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 48(3), 481–490.CrossRef

Blanchard, E. B., Jones-Alexander, J., Buckley, T. C., & Forneris, C. A. (1996). Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 34, 669–673.CrossRef

Block, C. R. (2000). The Chicago women’s health risk study: Risk of serious injury or death in intimate violence. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice.

Brown, J. (1997). Working toward freedom from violence: The process of change in battered women. Violence Against Women, 3(1), 5–26.PubMedCrossRef

Bursik, K. (1991). Correlates of women’s adjustment during the separation and divorce process. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 14(3–4), 137–162.CrossRef

Butts Stahly, G. (2000). Battered women: Why don’t they just leave? In J. C. Chrisler, C. Golden, & P. Rozee (Eds.), Lectures on the psychology of women, 2nd ed. (pp. 289–306). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Campbell, J., Rose, L., Kub, J., & Nedd, D. (1998). Voices of strength and resistance: A contextual and longitudinal analysis of women’s responses to battering. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(6), 743–762.CrossRef

Campbell, J., Webster, D., Koziol-McLain, J., Block, C., Campbell, D., Curry, M. A., et al. (2003). Risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships: Results from a multisite case control study. American Journal of Public Health, 93(7), 1089–1097.PubMedCrossRef

Campbell, J. C., Miller, P., Cardwell, M. M., & Belknap, R. A. (1994). Relationship status of battered women over time. Journal of Family Violence, 9(2), 99–111.CrossRef

Campbell, J. C., & Soeken, K. L. (1999). Women’s responses to battering over time: An analysis of change. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14(1), 21–40.CrossRef

Campbell, R., Sullivan, C. M., & Davidson, W. S. (1995). Women who use domestic violence shelters: Changes in depression over time. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19(2), 237–255.CrossRef

Cattaneo, L. B., Bell, M. E., Goodman, L. A., & Dutton, M. A. (2007). Predicting battered women’s accuracy in assessing their risk of re-abuse. Journal of Family Violence (in press).

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, Associates.

Eldar-Avidan, D., & Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2000). The experience of formerly battered women with divorce: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 32(3–4), 19–40.CrossRef

Ellis, D. (1992). Woman abuse among separated and divorced women: The relevance of social support. In E. C. Viano (Ed.), Intimate violence: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 177–189). Washington, DC: Hemisphere Publishing Corp.

Ellis, D., & DeKeseredy, W. S. (1989). Marital status and woman abuse: The DAD model. International Journal of Sociology of the Family, 19, 67–87.

Ellis, D., & DeKeseredy, W. S. (1997). Rethinking estrangement, interventions, and intimate femicide. Violence Against Women, 3(6), 590–609.PubMedCrossRef

Ellis, D., & Wight, L. (1997). Estrangement, interventions, and male violence toward female partners. Violence & Victims, 12(1), 51–67.

Epstein, D., Bell, M. E., & Goodman, L. A. (2003). Transforming aggressive prosecution policies: Prioritizing victims’ long-term safety in the prosecution of domestic violence cases. Journal of Gender, Social Policy, & the Law, 11(2), 465–498.

Fleury, R. E., Sullivan, C. M., & Bybee, D. I. (2000). When ending the relationship does not end the violence: Women’s experiences of violence by former partners. Violence Against Women, 6(12), 1363–1383.CrossRef

Ford, D. A. (1991). Prosecution as a victim power resource: A note on empowering women in violent conjugal relationships. Law & Society Review, 25(2), 313–334.CrossRef

Ford, D. A., & Regoli, M. J. (1992). The preventive impacts of policies for prosecuting wife batterers. In E. S. Buzawa & C. G. Buzawa (Eds.), Domestic violence: The changing criminal justice response (pp. 181–207). Westport, CT: Auburn House.

Gelles, R. J. (1976). Abused wives: Why do they stay? Journal of Marriage & Family, 38(4), 659–668.CrossRef

Gondolf, E. W., & Fisher, E. R. (1988). Battered women as survivors: An alternative to treating learned helplessness. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Goodman, L. A., Dutton, M. A., Vankos, N., & Weinfurt, K. (2005). Women’s resources and use of strategies as risk and protective factors for re-abuse over time. Violence Against Women, 11, 311–336.PubMedCrossRef

Goodman, L. A., Dutton, M. A., Weinfurt, K., & Cook, S. (2003). The intimate partner violence strategies index. Violence Against Women, 9(2), 163–186.CrossRef

Griffing, S., Ragin, D. F., Sage, R. E., Madry, L., Bingham, L. E., & Primm, B. J. (2002). Domestic violence survivors’ self-identified reasons for returning to abusive relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17(3), 306–319.CrossRef

Haj-Yahia, M. M., & Eldar-Avidan, D. (2001). Formerly battered women: A qualitative study of their experiences in making a decision to divorce and carrying it out. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 36(1–2), 37–66.CrossRef

Hamby, S. L., & Gray-Little, B. (1997). Responses to partner violence: Moving away from deficit models. Journal of Family Psychology, 11(3), 339–350.CrossRef

Hardesty, J. L. (2002). Separation assault in the context of postdivorce parenting: An integrative review of the literature. Violence Against Women, 8(5), 597–625.CrossRef

Herbert, T. B., Silver, R. C., & Ellard, J. H. (1991). Coping with an abusive relationship: I. How and why do women stay? Journal of Marriage & the Family, 53(2), 311–325.CrossRef

Horton, A. L., & Johnson, B. L. (1993). Profiles and strategies of women who have ended abuse. Families in Society, 74, 481–492.

Hotton, T. (2001). Spousal violence after marital separation. Juristat, 21, 1–19.

Jacobson, N. S., Gottman, J. M., Gortner, E., Berns, S., & Shortt, J. W. (1996). Psychological factors in the longitudinal course of battering: When do the couples split up? When does the abuse decrease? Violence & Victims, 11(4), 371–392.

Johnson, H. (2003). The cessation of assaults on wives. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34(1), 75–91.

Johnson, H., & Hotton, T. (2003). Losing control: Homicide risk in estranged and intact intimate relationships. Homicide Studies, 7(1), 58–84.CrossRef

Kemp, A., Green, B. L., Hovanitz, C., & Rawlings, E. I. (1995). Incidence and correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder in battered women: Shelter and community samples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 10(1), 43–55.CrossRef

Kirk, R. E. (2001). Promoting good statistical practices: Some suggestions. Educational & Psychological Measurement, 61(2), 213–218.CrossRef

Kocot, T. G., & Goodman, L. (2003). The roles of coping and social support in battered women’s mental health. Violence Against Women, 9(3), 323–346.CrossRef

Lerner, C. F., & Kennedy, L. T. (2000). Stay-leave decision making in battered women: Trauma, coping and self-efficacy. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 24(2), 215–232.CrossRef

Logan, T. K., & Walker, R. (2004). Separation as a risk factor for victims of intimate partner violence: Beyond lethality and injury, a response to Campbell. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19(12), 1478–1486.PubMedCrossRef

Logan, T. K., Walker, R., Jordan, C. E., & Campbell, J. (2004). An integrative review of separation in the context of victimization: Consequences and implications for women. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 5(2), 143–193.CrossRef

Loseke, D. R., & Cahill, S. E. (1984). The social construction of deviance: Experts on battered women. Social Problems, 31(3), 296–310.

Martin, A. J., Berenson, K. R., Griffing, S., Sage, R. E., Madry, L., Bingham, L. E., et al. (2000). The process of leaving an abusive relationship: The role of risk assessments and decision-certainty. Journal of Family Violence, 15(2), 109–122.CrossRef

McFarlane, J., Campbell, J. C., Wilt, S. A., Sachs, C. J., Ulrich, Y., & Xu, X. (1999). Stalking and intimate partner femicide. Homicide Studies, 3(4), 300–316.CrossRef

Mertin, P., & Mohr, P. B. (2001). A follow-up study of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression in Australian victims of domestic violence. Violence & Victims, 16(6), 645–654.

Molina, O. (2000). Divorce and domestic violence among African American women. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 34(1–2), 131–141.

Moss, V. A., Pitula, C. R., Campbell, J. C., & Halstead, L. (1997). The experience of terminating an abusive relationship from and Anglo and African American perspective: A qualitative descriptive study. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 18(5), 433–454.PubMedCrossRef

Newton, R. R., Connelly, C. D., & Landsverk, J. A. (2001). An examination of the measurement characteristics and factorial validity of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. Educational & Psychological Measurement, 61(2), 317–335.

O’Brien, K., & Murdock, N. (1993). Shelter workers’ perceptions of battered women. Sex Roles, 29(3/4), 183–194.CrossRef

Okun, A. (1988). Termination or resumption of cohabitation in woman battering relationship: A statistical study. In G. T. Hotaling, D. Finkelhor, J. T. Kirkpatrick, & M. A. Straus (Eds.), Coping with family violence: Research and policy perspectives (pp. 107–119). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

Peled, E., Eisikovits, Z., Enosh, G., & Winstok, Z. (2000). Choice and empowerment for battered women who stay: Toward a constructivist model. Social Work, 45(1), 9–25.PubMed

Preston, J. J., & Marshall, L. L. (2002). Ethnic differences in termination of abusive relationships. Paper presented at the 110th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385–401.CrossRef

Rennison, C. M., & Welchans, S. (2000). Intimate partner violence: Bureau of Justice statistics special report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.

Rhodes, N. R., & McKenzie, E. B. (1998). Why do battered women stay?: Three decades of research. Aggression & Violent Behavior, 3(4), 391–406.CrossRef

Riger, S., & Krieglstein, M. (2000). The impact of welfare reform on men’s violence against women. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28(5), 631–647.PubMedCrossRef

Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7(2), 147–177.PubMedCrossRef

Schwartz, M. D. (1988). Marital status and woman abuse theory. Journal of Family Violence, 3(3), 239–248.CrossRef

Sev’er, A. (1997). Recent or imminent separation and intimate violence against women: A conceptual overview and some Canadian examples. Violence Against Women, 3(6), 566–589.PubMedCrossRef

Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Marriage & Family, 41, 75–88.CrossRef

Straus, M. A., & Gelles, R. J. (1990). Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptations to violence in 8,145 families. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J., & Steinmetz, S. (1980). Behind closed doors: Violence in the American family. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press.

Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283–316.CrossRef

Strube, M. J., & Barbour, L. S. (1984). Factors related to the decision to leave an abusive relationship. Journal of Marriage & Family, 46(4), 837–844.CrossRef

Sullivan, C. M., & Bybee, D. I. (1999). Reducing violence using community-based advocacy for women with abusive partners. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 67(1), 43–53.CrossRef

Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice.

Tolman, R. M. (1989). The development of a measure of psychological maltreatment of women by their male partners. Violence & Victims, 4(3), 159–177.

Tolman, R. M. (1999). The validation of the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory. Violence & Victims, 14(1), 25–37.

Walker, L. E. (1979). The battered woman. New York: Harper and Row.

Walker, L. E. A. (1987). Assessment and intervention with battered women. In P. A. Keller, & S. R. Heyman (Eds.), Innovations in clinical practice: A sourcebook, vol. 6 (pp. 131–142). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Exchange.

Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Herman, D. S., Huska, J. A., & Keane, T. M. (1993). The PTSD checklist: Reliability, validity, and diagnostic utility. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, San Antonio, TX, October.

Weinfurt, K. P. (2000). Repeated measures analysis: ANOVA, MANOVA, and HLM. In L. G. Grimm, & P. R. Yarnold (Eds.), Reading and understanding MORE multivariate statistics (pp. 317–361). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Wileman, R., & Wileman, B. (1995). Towards balancing power in domestic violence relationships. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 16(4), 165–176.

Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (1993). Spousal homicide risk and estrangement. Violence & Victims, 8(1), 3–16.

Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (2001). The evolutionary psychology of couple conflict in registered versus de facto marital unions. In A. Booth, & A. C. Crouter (Eds.), Couples in conflict (pp. 3–26). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Wuest, J., & Merritt-Gray, M. (1999). Not going back: Sustaining the separation in the process of leaving abusive relationships. Violence Against Women, 5(2), 110–133.

Wyatt, G. E. (1994). Sociocultural and epidemiological issues in the assessment of domestic violence. Journal of Social Distress & the Homeless, 3(1), 7–21.CrossRef

Titel: The Dynamics of Staying and Leaving: Implications for Battered Women’s Emotional Well-Being and Experiences of Violence at the End of a Year
verfasst von: Margret E. Bell
Lisa A. Goodman
Mary Ann Dutton
Publikationsdatum: 01.08.2007
Verlag: Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers
Erschienen in: Journal of Family Violence / Ausgabe 6/2007
Print ISSN: 0885-7482
Elektronische ISSN: 1573-2851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9096-9

Neu im Fachgebiet Psychiatrie

Typ-2-Diabetes und Depression folgen oft aufeinander

14.05.2024 Typ-2-Diabetes Nachrichten

Menschen mit Typ-2-Diabetes sind überdurchschnittlich gefährdet, in den nächsten Jahren auch noch eine Depression zu entwickeln – und umgekehrt. Besonders ausgeprägt ist die Wechselbeziehung laut GKV-Daten bei jüngeren Erwachsenen.

Darf man die Behandlung eines Neonazis ablehnen?

08.05.2024 Gesellschaft Nachrichten

In einer Leseranfrage in der Zeitschrift Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology möchte ein anonymer Dermatologe bzw. eine anonyme Dermatologin wissen, ob er oder sie einen Patienten behandeln muss, der eine rassistische Tätowierung trägt.

Spezielles Sportprogramm bei einer Reihe von psychischen Erkrankungen effektiv

08.05.2024 Psychotherapie Nachrichten

Sportliche Betätigung hilft nicht nur bei Depression, sondern auch in Gruppen von Patientinnen und Patienten mit unterschiedlichen psychischen Erkrankungen, wie Insomnie, Panikattacken, Agoraphobie und posttraumatischem Belastungssyndrom. Sie alle profitieren längerfristig.

Wartezeit nicht kürzer, aber Arbeit flexibler

Psychotherapie Medizin aktuell

Fünf Jahren nach der Neugestaltung der Psychotherapie-Richtlinie wurden jetzt die Effekte der vorgenommenen Änderungen ausgewertet. Das Hauptziel der Novellierung war eine kürzere Wartezeit auf Therapieplätze. Dieses Ziel wurde nicht erreicht, es gab jedoch positive Auswirkungen auf andere Bereiche.

Update Psychiatrie

Bestellen Sie unseren Fach-Newsletter und bleiben Sie gut informiert.

Newsletter bestellen

Springer Medizin

Abstract

Bitte loggen Sie sich ein, um Zugang zu diesem Inhalt zu erhalten

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 6/2007

Clinically Significant Trauma Symptoms and Behavioral Problems in a Community-based Sample of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

A Descriptive Model of the Hunting Process of Serial Sex Offenders: A Rational Choice Perspective

A Domestic Violence Course For Medical Students: A Study on Its Effectiveness

Dating Violence Victimization, Relationship Satisfaction, Mental Health Problems, and Acceptability of Violence: A Comparison of Men and Women