title: Women's experiences of violence and seeking help.
abstract: Every day, women survive physical or sexual violence. Some survive as a result of services they receive in the aftermath of the abuse. The study presented here explored women's experiences of victimization and their use of and perceptions about the services they received. It is learned that what providers usually prioritize and what the women in this study used-namely emotional, psychological, and legal support-are not what these women identified as the most helpful. Instead, tangible supports, such as food, housing, and financial assistance, were viewed as the most helpful, along with religious or spiritual counseling.
authors.affiliation: Center on Violence Against Women & Children, Rutgers University School of Social Work, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Judy L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Postmus
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Severson
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: Jeong Ah
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data