TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of social support and family relationships in women’s responses to battering
AU - Rose, Linda E.
AU - Campbell, Jacquelyn
AU - Kub, Joan
PY - 2000/1
Y1 - 2000/1
N2 - For women who are in abusive relationships, social support and close family relationships may be critical to the successful resolution of the abuse. Efforts to enhance battered women’s support must be predicated on an understanding of women’s perceptions of effective support and the constraints they experience to seeking support. In this paper we present findings from a qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews with 31 women who were in abusive relationships. The women were interviewed three times over two and-a-half years. Results of the analysis included that women used female friends for support more often than family members, and that women were constrained from seeking support by (a) cultural and societal sanctions against leaving the relationship; (b) a pattern of caution in relating to others or forging new relationships; and (c) forced isolation/seeing self as isolative. Relationships with family members, especially parents, were not consistently seen as useful sources of support.
AB - For women who are in abusive relationships, social support and close family relationships may be critical to the successful resolution of the abuse. Efforts to enhance battered women’s support must be predicated on an understanding of women’s perceptions of effective support and the constraints they experience to seeking support. In this paper we present findings from a qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews with 31 women who were in abusive relationships. The women were interviewed three times over two and-a-half years. Results of the analysis included that women used female friends for support more often than family members, and that women were constrained from seeking support by (a) cultural and societal sanctions against leaving the relationship; (b) a pattern of caution in relating to others or forging new relationships; and (c) forced isolation/seeing self as isolative. Relationships with family members, especially parents, were not consistently seen as useful sources of support.
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U2 - 10.1080/073993300245384
DO - 10.1080/073993300245384
M3 - Article
C2 - 11022447
AN - SCOPUS:0033654617
SN - 0739-9332
VL - 21
SP - 27
EP - 39
JO - Health care for women international
JF - Health care for women international
IS - 1
ER -