This article critically examines four theoretical approaches identified by Strube (1988) as relevant to abused women's stay/leave decision-making processes. It is argued that these four approaches have overlapping components that may be combined into a single framework for understanding abused women's stay/leave decisions. The essential aspects of abused women's stay/leave decisions appear to revolve around two central questions: “Will I be better off?” and “Can I do it?” This model proposes that abused women's stay/leave decisions occur in a stepwise fashion. A woman may wish to leave her relationship but be inhibited from doing so because she does not feel she has control over her circumstances. Conversely, a woman may have the necessary resources for leaving but may wish to remain in the relationship. Empirical work in the fields of marital and dating violence is reviewed and provides preliminary support for the components of this two-step model of abused women's stay/leave decisions.
A multivariate causal model was tested to determine the extent to which two central questions, “Will I be better off” and “Can I do it?”, contribute to abused daters' stay/leave decision‐making processes. Participants completed questionnaires consisting of multiple measures of relationship satisfaction, alternatives, investments, subjective norm, personal resources and barriers, and structural resources and barriers. The first question and its indicators accounted for over 87% of the variance in participants’intention to stay in or leave their relationships. Results highlight three important avenues for future research: identifying both positive and negative aspects of abusive relationships, increased clarification of the commitment construct, and emphasis on further operationalizing the construct “Can 1 do it?”
This study investigated the mediating effects of men’s ineffective conflict resolution strategies and marital distress on the intergenerational transmission of wife battering. Subjects were 1836 men who participated in the Second National Family Violence Survey. Results indicated that men who witnessed interparental violence were more likely to use ineffective conflict resolution strategies. The use of ineffective conflict resolution strategies increased men’s likelihood of encountering marital distress and engaging in wife battering. Contrary to the expectations of the study, results also revealed a direct link between witnessing interparental violence and wife battering.
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