The Experience of Terminating an Abusive Relationship from an Anglo and African American Perspective: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abstract

A common question asked about abused women is, "Why don't they leave?" This qualitative study explored the experiences of 15 African American and 15 Anglo American women who had terminated abusive relationships. The constant comparative method of analysis of audiotaped interviews revealed a 3-phase process of leaving: being in, getting out, and going on. Participants endured abuse until they could relinquish the fantasy of a happy relationship. Differences in relationship power and public response to abuse distinguished the experiences of Anglo and African American participants. Findings support the notion of leaving as a social process with similarities across both groups. However, critical differences in responses suggest that leaving is a culture-bound experience.

Understanding Turning Points in Intimate Partner Violence: Factors and Circumstances Leading Women Victims Toward Change

“…The cognitive shift described by our participants within these themes has often been noted to occur prior to women's decisions to leave their abusers. 44,45,52,69,78 While it then may be tempting to counsel a women to leave her abuser, providers must recognize that not all women experiencing IPV wish to or are ready to leave. Additionally, it is crucial for providers to understand that the act of leaving often increases instead of decreases danger to victims, so that leaving may not be the safest action for a given victim at a given time.…”

Why I Stayed/Left: An Analysis of Voices of Intimate Partner Violence on Social Media

“…The decision to leave an abusive partner is more of a process than an isolated event, however, the factors related to this process also fit into internal and external categories (Barnett 2001;Moss et al 1997). The most important internal empowering factor is cognitive, a shift in the victims thought process.…”

“…The shift in the victims thought process focuses on viewing the relationship as unhealthy and accepting that the relationship may not get better. The victim then starts the process of reclaiming self, a process of rebuilding their identity (Merritt-Gray and Wuest 1995; Moss et al 1997).…”

The effects of self-protective behaviors on injury for African American women in domestic violence situations

“…This is troubling because some of the limited research that has explored domestic violence and minorities finds that African American women are at a high risk for domestic violence and in fact may experience more violence and sometimes more severe violence than their white counterparts [19,36,37,44]. In addition, studies reveal that African American women are more likely to use physical violence against a partner, both initiated violence and in self-defense [16,31,37]. Research finds that women who physically assault their partners most often do so in self-defense or in anticipation of an attack [39].…”

“…More specifically, they may be more likely to respond in ways that reflect their stereotyped strength and independence, which include forcefully resisting the offender. Indeed, domestic violence research has shown that African American women are more likely to fight back against an intimate partner compared to their White counterparts [16,19,31,37]. In addition, African American women may sustain more severe injuries during intimate partner assaults.…”