To go or not to go, that is the question : an empirical analysis of battered women\u27s decision making processes while residing in a domestic violence shelter

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that are predictive of battered women\u27s intent to return to their abusive relationships before exiting a domestic violence shelter. This study also sought to examine those factors that predict domestic violence victims\u27 actual stay/leave behaviors. Specifically, this study sought to replicate and extend the model of research conducted by Choice and Lamke (1999), who examined stay/leave decisions in abusive dating relationships. In the present study, residents of various domestic violence shelters completed a set of questionnaires measuring the question Will I be better off\u27 and its four components, Relationship Distress, Quality of Alternatives, Irretrievable Investments, and Subjective Norm, and the question Can I do it and its two components, Personal Resources/Barriers, and Structural Resources/Barriers. Multiple regression analyses revealed statistically significant relationship between battered women\u27s intent to return and the constructs Quality of Alternatives and Personal Resources/Barriers. However, logistic regression analyses indicated that the constructs, Structural Investments in Marriage and Structural Resources/Barriers, were predictive of battered women\u27s actual stay/leave behaviors once exiting domestic violence shelters. Findings from this study also indicate that battered women\u27s intent to return to their relationships was a significant predictor in their post-shelter stay/leave behaviors. Recommendations for assessment and intervention with battered women residing in domestic violence shelters are provided