Influence of Intimate Partner Violence Severity on the Help-Seeking Strategies of Female Victims and the Influence of Social Reactions to Violence Disclosure on the Process of Leaving a Violent Relationship.
This article uses data from the 2015 Spanish Survey on Violence Against Women, a nationally representative survey of 10,171 women aged 16 or above, to analyze the relationship between the severity of intimate partner violence and formal and informal help-seeking strategies, the link between the severity of abuse and the reasons for not seeking formal help, and the influence of social reactions to violence disclosure on the process of leaving a violent relationship. The results show that in Spain, many abused women disclose violence and seek help. However, the severity of the violence strongly determines their help-seeking strategies, especially the search for formal help. Women who experienced less severe incidents tended to minimize their importance and did not seek formal help. For informal help, the differences were smaller, and a high proportion of women talked about the abuse with someone within their social environment, regardless of the severity of the suffered violence. A supportive reaction to violence disclosure had a strong and positive influence on the process of leaving the abusive relationship. The implications of these findings for the design of public policies, education, and awareness-raising campaigns are discussed.
Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, Madrid, Spain.
Ines
I
Domenech Del Rio
Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, Madrid, Spain.
Elena
E
Sirvent Garcia Del Valle
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013030:Spain; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
disclosure; formal and informal help seeking; intimate partner violence; leaving processes; social support