Title

A Process of Entrapment In and Recovery From an Abusive Relationship

Publication Date

1989

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to describe the experience of being abused within the context of a significant relationship and to explain how the nature of the relationship influences the choices a woman makes over time. The sample consisted of 30 women who were currently in or who had already left an abusive relationship. A semistructured, open-ended interview was used to obtain data on the duration, frequency, and severity of abuse sustained by women while in abusive relationships. Data were analyzed using constant comparative and domain analyses. An independent analyst determined that codes developed were reliable. A four-phase process describing entrapment in and recovery from an abusive relationship was generated: binding, enduring, disenaging, and recovering are phases through which a woman passes progressively as the meaning she ascribes to her abusive experience, her interactions with her partner, and her self-change. The process is cumulative and multidimensional.

Publication Title

Issues in Mental Health Nursing

Volume

10

Issue

3-4

First Page

209

Last Page

227

DOI

10.3109/01612848909140846

Publisher Policy

pre-print, post-print with 12 month embargo, no publisher's pdf

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