Abused Women Remaining in Relationships

Characteristics of the Abuse Experienced

The type of abuse experienced by the woman may differentially impact her and may affect her help-seeking behavior. It may also play a role in a woman's decision about whether to stay in or leave an abusive relationship. Recent research indicates that acts of physical violence and psychological aggression between intimate partners are relatively common among dating, cohabitating, and married couples. Sexual violence occurs less frequently and may be the most taboo type of violence to disclose to others. Experiencing psychological abuse may, at times, impede the woman's leaving the relationship, as it can reduce the victim's sense of self-efficacy and confidence while increasing her feelings of self-blame. Women are less likely to leave an abusive relationship if they have been repeatedly told, and they, in turn, come to believe, that they cannot leave or will not make it without their abuser or that no one else will ever love them or care for them. In contrast, experiencing physical violence alone or in conjunction with other types of abuse has been shown to have the strongest relationship to leaving the abusive relationship, but relatively little is known about the experience of sexual violence within an ongoing intimate relationship and how this impacts remaining in the relationship over time.

Women also consider characteristics of the violence they are experiencing when they are considering whether to leave or stay in the abusive relationship. Women are more likely to leave relationships in which the violence has led to a physical injury, and although some studies have suggested that women tend to underestimate the risk of injury or death from their violent intimate partner, they rarely have been shown to overestimate the risks associated with remaining in the relationship. Women consider aspects of the violence in their risk appraisals, and women who perceive the violence as escalating in severity and frequency have been shown to be more likely to intend to leave the abusive relationship permanently.

...