Victim-Help Seeking Patterns and How They Can Inform Future Support Services for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

This research seeks to explore victims help-seeking behaviours using data from a representative general population sample of 2,048 German participants, 420 (20.5%) of which experienced IPV within their lifetime. It considers variations in victims' help-seeking strategies and the type of help sought (informal, formal, both or neither) based on victims' individual and situational characteristics. Victims were asked about who they sought help from (if anyone) and how long they had been in the relationship prior to seeking help for abuse, as well as the total duration of abuse suffered. Statistical tests were used to test the association between victim demographics, abuse duration and help-seeking behaviours. The key finding emerging from this research is that abuse duration is positively correlated with time taken to seek help. Where victims are unable to seek help for abuse suffered during the earlier stages of their relationship, they are likely to stay within the abusive relationship for a longer time. Victims in shorter abusive relationships are more likely to seek help from friends and family, while those in longer relationships seek help from professional services more often. Male victims are more likely to seek help from health services, while women are more likely to confide in family and friends. Older victims are the least likely to seek help from anyone. Furthermore, the complexity of relationships appears to affect victims help-seeking, as victims are more likely to be in longer relationships as their age and number of children increase. These findings indicate the importance of bolstering victims’ informal support networks and understanding why victims seek help from different places - at various stages - to improve formal support services.