title: Women's perceptions of safety and risk following police intervention for intimate partner violence.
abstract: Police intervention is a primary response to intimate partner violence (IPV) but does not guarantee a victim's future safety. This study sought to identify factors associated with IPV survivors' perceptions of safety and risk of revictimization following police intervention. One hundred sixty-four women completed a questionnaire, and 11 of those women also took part in qualitative interviews. The findings revealed that feeling unsafe and perceiving oneself to be at risk of future violence is associated with experiencing particular forms of IPV, including battering, lethality threats, and sexual violence. Having support from others and distance from the partner helps women feel safe.
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA. mdichter@sp2.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Melissa E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dichter
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gelles
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000379:methods*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D016495:Police; D011902:Rape; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult