Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Sandra M. Stith / Male-to-female intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a significant social problem as research into its prevalence, incidence, severity, and resulting health consequences has documented. Just as we are beginning to understand some of the pieces of this problem in the United States, researchers and domestic violence advocates have called for expanding that understanding by exploring the range of risks involved in leaving a relationship with a violent man or in seeking help. In addition to the risk of personal physical harm, women in relationships with violent men may also consider the risk of harm to others, and the financial, social and legal risks to leaving (Hamby, 2008). Others have called for a better understanding of IPV through the examination of experiences of IPV within specific groups or subpopulations, such as with immigrant women (Menjívar & Salcido, 2002). This study uses Hamby’s (2008) holistic risk assessment, Choice and Lamke’s (1997) 2-part decision-making model, and a comparison between immigrant and non-immigrant women, to expand our understanding of the decisions women make about leaving their relationship and to seek help. With a sample of 1,307 women in the United Stated, similarities and differences between immigrant and non-immigrant women in the predictors to leaving and help seeking were determined through logistic regression analysis. Results indicate support for a holistic risk assessment such as Hamby’s (2008), and demonstrate significant differences between immigrant and non-immigrant women in their risks and barriers to leaving and help seeking. Nevertheless, examinations of the predictors to leaving and help seeking demonstrate many areas of similarity between immigrant and non-immigrant women in the ways they make decisions about leaving a relationship with a violent man or seeking help. Domestic violence advocates and therapists who work with women in relationships with violent men are encouraged to explore more fully the impact of the risks of harm to others, and the financial, social and legal risks to leaving or staying, and are further encouraged to expand their ideas of what women need once they leave, given the barriers that may make leaving more difficult for them.

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This project attempted to understand better the relationship between social support and women's commitment to an abusive relationship for the purpose of informing social support interventions. This study was not an intervention; instead, it sought to examine the processes linking receipt of helpful forms of social support from naturally occurring sources with women's commitment and stay/leave decisions. Specifically, it was hypothesized that relationship satisfaction and quality alternatives would mediate the relationship between received social support types (e.g., nondirective support, positive social exchange, tangible assistance, and directive guidance) and battered women's feelings of commitment. Fifty-one battered women living in domestic violence shelters participated in the present study. Women completed the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2), Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB), and Investment Model Scale (IMS) along with other measures designed for this study. Results showed that battered women who received more resources and services (i.e., tangible assistance) endorsed lesser commitment to their abusive relationships; however, other dimensions of social support such as showing concern, giving advice, and spending time in recreational activities were unrelated to commitment. Further, neither relationship satisfaction nor quality alternatives mediated the relationship between support and commitment; however, relationship satisfaction and quality alternatives demonstrated expected relationships with women's commitment. Potential design limitations as well as clinical and research implications are discussed. / Ph. D.

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Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Sandra M. Stith and Amber Vennum / Ending a college dating relationship is common as college coeds begin trying on romantic relationships for size. Ending the relationship because the relationship has become violent can add more complexities to an already unpleasant task. This study was an attempt to better understand the stay/leave decisions for college women who were victims of dating violence and whether or not these decisions differed for college women who were involved in violent versus non-violent dating relationships. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the factors that influenced the likelihood of female college students’ dating relationships to end using Choice and Lamke’s (1999) two-part decision-making model. In summary, victims reported greater relationship distress, less attraction towards someone other than their partner, less relationship safety, lower relationship efficacy, less social support, and fewer good friends than non-victims. Results also indicated that college women’s consideration of “Will I be better off?” was more important in the decision to leave a dating relationship than their perception of “Can I do it?” In addition, results from Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) modeling found that, while victims believed they were more likely to be better off leaving their violent, dating partners, they felt less able to actually leave the relationship than their non-victim counterparts. MIMIC modeling also found that being a victim or not of dating violence did not predict breakup directly. These findings have important implications for prevention and treatment of dating violence and can be used to further the research in the area of dating violence, college students, and stay/leave decisions.