Stories of Help Seeking by Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

To illicit information regarding the help seeking experiences of women allegedly victimized by intimate partner violence (IPV). Qualitative phenomenologic study using story method. An 18-county region in the Appalachian region of Western North Carolina. Sixteen women participated in the surveys. The study was based on a qualitative story-telling design using a sample of self-identified victims of domestic and sexual violence who participated voluntarily. Posters were hung in community agencies after institutional review board approval. Participants called into the United Way 211 community resource phone line to enter the study and were screened by certified personnel for eligibility. The participants were given appointments to call the principal investigator to tell their stories. Thematic analysis was performed by four individual reviewers and themes were grouped using ATLAS.ti 6.2. The themes identified included lack of knowledge (access and process), communication, judgment, response, access, and fear. Further effort is needed to address the barriers to help-seeking by victims of IPV. Understanding the initial experience helps to understand how to develop quality responses.