The Role of Social Support in the Lives of Women Exiting Domestic Violence Shelters

The present study investigated an intervention designed to increase battered women's social support and make their existing supports more responsive to their dire needs. It is part of a larger project that utilizes a longitudinal, experimental design to examine the effects, over a 2-year period, of an advocacy intervention on battered women's overall psychological well-being and ability to remain free of abuse. Study results (a) describe the social support of 141 women who have used a domestic violence shelter, (b) relate social support variables to psychological well-being and experience of further abuse, and (c) investigate the immediate effects of the intervention, as well as a 6-month follow-up. Key findings substantiate the strong relationship between social support and psychological well-being of battered women.