Evidence-Based Research on This Topic Might Inform

¶ … evidence-based research on this topic might inform human services practice in your area of interest. Finally, how has research impacted any of the human services organizations in the video carousel? Be specific and use examples to illustrate your explanation.

Evidenced-based research: Domestic abuse

One of the most frustrating aspects of treating clients who are the victims of domestic abuse is the degree to which women often recant testimony about their abusers and return to their abusive situations. A number of factors can contribute to this phenomenon. One factor is economic -- women may return to their abusers because they fear the loss of a stable income. A second is their children. Women may be reluctant to leave a man because they do not want to deprive their children of a father, no matter how inadequate he may be as a husband. For cultural reasons, they may feel that a child 'must' have a father. And the third and final reason is rooted in self-esteem factors, namely the degree to which women feel that they might not be 'worth anything' without a man, or because they falsely believe that they can change their abuser's behavior.

An evidence-based, qualitative study of domestic abuse victims would interview women who identified themselves as being abused in the past, and who had only separated themselves from their abusers after repeated attempts to do so. The women would identify, through interviews, why they chose to return to their abusers. The interviews would be coded so specific areas of general study could be identified by the researchers, such as 'economic reasons,' 'esteem needs,' and 'cultural believes about marriage.' The results could help guide programs in domestic abuse, in terms of treating victims and motivating them to enact change. The women would also speak about what finally motivated to help them break the cycle of the abuse.

While all of these factors may influence a woman to remain in an untenable situation, evidence-based research can be illuminating in terms of the degree to which such factors impact a woman's thinking, and which factors may disproportionately impact specific demographics of women. Are low-income more likely to remain with an abuser because of fears of being unable to support themselves? Or are cultural and esteem needs equally important as they are for women who are middle and upper-class and have independent incomes? Do certain ethnic and cultural groups have a greater propensity to rationalize abuse, based upon cultural norms? When structuring programs to target areas of need in specific communities, this information can be particularly valuable.