Citation

Oths KS, Robertson T. Human Organ. 2007; 66(3): 249-260.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Society for Applied Anthropology)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Domestic violence is a growing public health concern in the United States. Research to date has focused more on why women stay in abusive relationships than on factors influencing their leaving. The work presented here explores the social structural connections between culturally defined social events and the timing of entry into the shelter system. Handwerker's (1996) taxonomy of the causal theories of domestic violence is used and expanded upon here as an organizing framework for exploring the leaving process. This study investigates the temporal patterns of domestic violence crisis line and safe house use by the hour, day, and month, including women's motivations for seeking help when they do. Analyses were based on a review of 2,387 crisis call records covering a three-year period, supplemented by formal and informal interviews with abused women and agency staff. The widely held belief that more women seek shelter during "drinking holidays" such as New Year's and the Super Bowl was unsubstantiated, while the contention that women with school-aged children time their leaving to coincide with breaks in the academic schedule was supported. The patterning of domestic violence calls to the shelter is the mirror opposite of that previously found for calls to police and emergency room visits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)