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The Impact of Family and Friends’ Reactions on the Well-Being of Women With Abusive Partners

California State University, Hayward

Tameka L. Gillum

Deborah I. Bybee

Cris M. Sullivan

Michigan State University

This study examined the degree to which battered women talked with family and friends about abuse they were experiencing and how family and friends responded. Participants were 137 women who had recently experienced domestic violence and were exiting a shelter. Most women confided in family and friends about the abuse. Family and friends’ reactions depended on contextual factors, including the woman’s relationship with her assailant, number of separations, number of children, and whether family and friends were threatened. Family and friends’ negative reactions and offers of tangible support were significantly related to women’s well-being, although positive emotional support was not.

Key Words: battered women • domestic violence • help-seeking • social support

Violence Against Women, Vol. 9, No. 3, 347-373 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/1077801202250083


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