"Should I Stay, Should Go?".... Women Who Remain In Abusive Relationships
Abstract
This research examines the factors and barriers that influence a victim’s decision to leave or stay in an abusive relationship. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of survivors’ decision-making process and how to better provide support for intimate partner violence (IPV) victims. The trifold aim of this research project is to provide educators with more credible knowledge so that they can better inform the domestic violence (DV) victims of the resources available to them (i.e., women’s shelters), to bring awareness to the community of how serious DV is, and to equip agencies to deal with the complexities involved in the survivor's decision to leave or stay in an abusive relationship. It is imperative not only to understand how and why women remain in abusive relationships but it is also imperative to increase awareness so that effective, comprehensive community programs can be developed.
