Characteristics Related to Protection Order Use Among Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

One increasingly important resource for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) is domestic violence civil protection orders (POs). Using a transdisciplinary framework, this article critically examines the use of POs by IPV victims seeking shelter services. Previous contact with police and medical professionals are the strongest predictors of having obtained a PO; education level, income, age, race, and having children in the shelter are also significant predictors of having obtained a PO. These findings are discussed in the context of previous research on help-seeking behaviors and the growing body of transdisciplinary research on violence against women. Keywords domestic violence, intimate partner violence, protection order, shelter In 2003, women were the victims in approximately 5.3 million cases of intimate partner violence (IPV; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2003). One resource for victims of IPV is domestic violence civil protection orders (POs). The purpose of a PO is to prohibit contact between the victim and abuser; an abuser who violates the order can be arrested/prosecuted. Receipt of a PO has been shown to decrease contact with an abusive partner as well as subsequent violence (Holt, Kernic, Wolf, & Rivara, 2003). The number of PO filings in the United States increased by 35 % from 1994-2003 and, in several states, POs account for one quarter to one third of all domestic cases in the civil courts (Schauffler