This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Griffing, S. Articles by Primm, B. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Griffing, S. Articles by Primm, B. J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Domestic Violence Survivors' Self-Identified Reasons for Returning to Abusive Relationships

Deborah Fish Ragin

The Urban Women's Retreat, New York, New York.

Robert E. Sage

The Human Urban Resource Institute.

Lorraine Madry

Urban Women's Retreat

Lewis E. Bingham

Beny J. Primm

The Urban Resource Institute.

The present study examines self-identified reasons for returning to abusive relationships. Ninety female residents of an urban domestic violence shelter completed structured interviews that included questions about their previous attempts to separate from the batterer and their perceived likelihood of returning in the future. The results indicated that participants appeared to underestimate their likelihood of returning to the relationship. A particularly intriguing pattern of findings emerged with respect to emotional attachment. Compared to those leaving for the first time, participants with a history of past separations were significantly more likely to indicate that they might return to the batterer because of their continued attachment. Emotional attachment also had a high rate of repeat endorsement, indicating that those who considered returning because of their attachment to the batterer were significantly more likely to have done so for this reason in the past. Clinical implications of the findings will be discussed.

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 17, No. 3, 306-319 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0886260502017003005


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. C. Alexander, A. Tracy, M. Radek, and C. Koverola Predicting Stages of Change in Battered Women J Interpers Violence, October 1, 2009; 24(10): 1652 - 1672. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. A. Shurman and C. M. Rodriguez Cognitive-Affective Predictors of Women's Readiness to End Domestic Violence Relationships J Interpers Violence, November 1, 2006; 21(11): 1417 - 1439. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Griffing, C. S. Lewis, M. Chu, R. E. Sage, L. Madry, and B. J. Primm Exposure to Interpersonal Violence as a Predictor of PTSD Symptomatology in Domestic Violence Survivors J Interpers Violence, July 1, 2006; 21(7): 936 - 954. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Stosny Compassion Power: Helping Families Reach Their Core Value The Family Journal, January 1, 2004; 12(1): 58 - 63. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Malecha, J. McFarlane, J. Gist, K. Watson, E. Batten, I. Hall, and S. Smith Applying for and Dropping a Protection Order: A Study with 150 Women Criminal Justice Policy Review, December 1, 2003; 14(4): 486 - 504. [Abstract] [PDF]