Self-Esteem and Battered Women: Do Violence Shelters Help?

Intimate partner violence happens to 1 in 4 women in the US, and can be associated with deficits in emotional, social, physical and mental health. This study targets women who participated in a long-stay program at a battered women’s shelter in a large Midwestern city. This was a retrospective analysis using a sample of 190 abused women who completed the Index of Self Esteem (ISE) to measure levels of self-esteem upon entering and exiting the program. Demographic data of the women was also considered in relation to self-esteem levels. Scores of the entering and exiting ISE forms were evaluated to see how effective shelter stays are in improving self-esteem in female victims of domestic violence. Human Subjects approval was given through the IRB to perform this study. ISE scores showed significant improvement during the women’s stays in the shelter (M = 61 days). Women also reported financial, housing and emotional accomplishments during their stay in the shelter. This study suggests that shelter stays can improve women’s self-esteem and provide a foundation for further research.No embarg