Abstract
We present a qualitative study of battered women, which examined their experiences while staying at shelters. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 battered women staying at shelters. The interviews elicited four main themes: the women’s perceptions of the shelter; the woman’s perceptions of herself and her life experiences; the woman’s perceptions of her relations with other battered women at the shelter; and the woman’s perceptions of her relations with the staff of the shelter. The paper concludes with a discussion of the limitations of the study, implications for future research, implications for theory development, and implications for therapy and intervention with the problem of wife battering.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abitbol-Devine, S. (2004). Evaluation of an urban multi-service battered women’s shelter. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Hartford, CT, USA.
Agnew, V. (1998). Abused women and culturally sensitive services. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Avni, N. (1987). Nashim mukot: Dinamika shel halifin mitokh interakziot simboliot [Battered women: Dynamics of exchange through symbolic interaction]. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Hebrew).
Baker, C. K. (2002). Domestic violence and problems in housing: a contextual analysis of women’s helpseeking, received informal support, and formal system response. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Georgia State University, Georgia, USA.
Ben-Porat, A. (2002). Haspa’at hashehiya bamiklat al tehushat ha’atzama shel nashim mukot [The impact of living at a shelter on the sense of empowerment among battered women]. Unpublished Master’s thesis, School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel (Hebrew).
Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (1982). Qualitative research for education: an introduction to theory and methods. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Bowker, L. H. (1988). The effect of methodology on subjective estimates of the differential effectiveness of personal strategies and help sources used by battered women. In G. T. Hotaling, D. Finkelhor, J. T. Kirkpatrick, & M. A. Straus (Eds.), Coping with family violence: research and policy perspectives (pp. 80–92). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Campbell, R., Sullivan, C. M., & Davidson, W. S. (1995). Women who use domestic violence shelters, change in depression over time. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 237–255. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1995.tb00290.x.
Cannon, J. B., & Sparks, J. S. (1989). Shelters—an alternative to violence: a psychosocial case study. Journal of Community Psychology, 17, 203–213. doi:10.1002/1520-6629(198907)17:3<203::AID-JCOP2290170302>3.0.CO;2-M.
Davidson, B. P., & Jenkins, P. J. (1989). Class diversity in shelter life. Social Work, 34, 491–494.
Dobash, R. E., & Dobash, R. P. (1992). Women, violence, and social changes. London: Routledge.
Dutton, M. A. (1992). Empowering and healing the buttered women: a model for assessment and intervention. New York: Springer.
Eisikovits, Z., & Buchbinder, E. (2000). Locked in a violence embrace. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Flick, U. (1998). An introduction to qualitative research. Newbury Park: Sage.
Garza, M. A. (2002). Evaluation of a battered women’s shelter: outcomes to measure effectiveness. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, The Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, USA.
Goffman, E. (1961). Asylums: essays on the social situation of mental patients and other inmates. Middlesex: Penguin.
Golding, J. M. (1999). Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: a meta-analysis. Journal of Family Violence, 14(2), 99–132. doi:10.1023/A:1022079418229.
Gondolf, E. W., & Fisher, E. R. (1988). Battered women as survivors: an alternative to treating learned helplessness. Lexington: Lexington.
Gordon, J. S. (1996). Community services for abused women: a review of perceived usefulness and efficacy. Journal of Family Violence, 11, 315–329. doi:10.1007/BF02333420.
Gordon, K. C., Burton, S., & Porter, L. (2004). Predicting the intentions of women in domestic violence shelters to return to partners: does forgiveness play a role. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 331–338. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.2.331.
Haj-Yahia, M. M. (1999). Wife abuse and battering and some of its psychological consequences as revealed by the first Palestinian national survey on violence against women. Journal of Family Psychology, 13, 642–662. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.13.4.642.
Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2000). Implications of wife abuse and beating for self-esteem, depression, and anxiety as revealed by the Second Palestinian National Survey on Violence against Women. Journal of Family Issues, 21, 435–463. doi:10.1177/019251300021004002.
Haj-Yahia, M. M., & Sadan, E. (2003). Ha’atzamat nashim mukot behevrot kolektivistiot [Battered Women in Collectivist Societies: Intervention and Empowerment]. Unpublished paper (Hebrew).
Hoff, L. A. (1990). Battered women as survivors. London: Routledge.
Humphreys, C., & Thiara, R. (2003). Mental health and domestic violence: ‘I call it symptoms of abuse’. British Journal of Social Work, 33, 209–226. doi:10.1093/bjsw/33.2.209.
Laks, H. (2000). Nashim mukot: Dimui atzmi veimahut be’enei atzman [Battered women: Their subjective view of their self-image and motherhood]. Unpublished Master’s thesis. Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Lempert, L. B. (1997). The other side of help: negative effects in the help-seeking processes of abused women. Qualitative Sociology, 20, 289–309. doi:10.1023/A:1024769920112.
Rhodes, N. R. (1998). Why do battered women stay? Three decades of research. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 3, 391–406. doi:10.1016/S1359-1789(97)00025-6.
Robert, A. (1998). The organizational structure and function of shelters for battered women and their children: a national survey. In A. Robert (Ed.), Battered women and their families (pp. 58–74). New York: Springer.
Sabar Ben-Yehoshua, N. (1990). Qualitative research in teaching and studying. Givatayim: Masada (Hebrew).
Schechter, S. (1982). Woman and male violence: the visions and struggle of the battered women’s movement. Boston: South End.
Shostack, A. L. (2001). Shelters for battered women and their children: a comprehensive guide to planning and operating safe and caring residential programs. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas.
Strube, M. J. (1988). The decision to leave an abusive relationship. In G.T. Hotaling, D. Finkelhor, J. T. Kirkpatrick, & M.A. Straus (Eds.), Coping with family violence: research and policy perspectives (pp. 93–106). Newbury Park: Sage.
Tutty, M. L., Weaver, G., & Rothery, M. A. (1999). Resident’s view of the efficacy of shelter services for assault women. Violence Against Women, 5, 898–925. doi:10.1177/10778019922181545.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Haj-Yahia, M.M., Cohen, H.C. On the Lived Experience of Battered Women Residing in Shelters. J Fam Viol 24, 95–109 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9214-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9214-3