The Decision to Leave an Abusive Relationship: Empirical Evidence and Theoretical Issues

Empirical research addressing the decision to leave an abusive relationship is reviewed, methodological limitations in that research are outlined, and theoretical models potentially useful for explaining this decision process are discussed. The review of past research suggests that a variety of factors influence the decision to leave an abusive relationship, including employment outside the home, length of relationship, presence of child abuse, and number of previous separations. Many of these studies, however, are limited by nonrandom samples, retrospective designs, and overreliance on self-report measures. Four interrelated models show promise for aiding in the understanding of this complex decision situation: psychological entrapment, learned helplessness, cost/benefit analysis, and reasoned action.