Citation

Eubanks Fleming CJ, Resick PA. Violence Vict. 2017; 32(2): 195-209.

Affiliation

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Springer Publishing)

DOI

10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-15-00065

PMID

28130895

Abstract

This study examined individual behavioral predictors of help-seeking using the frameworks of the Andersen model and thetheory of planned behavior in a sample of help-seeking female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). In-person interviews were conducted with 372 women (M_age = 34.41 years, 66% African American).

RESULTS indicated that variables suggested by the Andersen model, including age, depression, psychological aggression, and posttraumatic stress-related arousal symptoms, were significant predictors of help-seeking. Variables suggested by the theory of planned behavior, including perceived helpfulness of resource and perceived controllability of the violence, were also significantly related to help-seeking. However, a combined model including variables from both theoretical approaches accounted for the most variance in help-seeking behavior. Overall, results suggest that these models are useful conceptualizations of help-seeking in an IPV population and that it is important to consider personal characteristics, need-based variables, and cognitive factors in outreach efforts.

Language: en