Leaving an Abusive Dating Relationship: An Investment Model Comparison of Women Who Stay Versus Women Who Leave

This research explored the differences between women who had left abusive dating relationships and those who were still involved on factors derived from the Investment Model variables (Rusbult & Martz, 1995), Feminine Gender Role Stress (FGRS; Gillespie & Eisler, 1 992), and attribution of responsibility for a typical violent event. On Investment Model variables it was found that women who stayed versus those who left violent relationships displayed significant differences on three measures of satisfaction, but did not significantly differ on measures of perceived alternatives, investment size, or commitment. The predictions of the Investment Model were largely supported by a regression analysis that found that objective investment size, subjective investment size, perceived alternatives, and positive feelings for one's partner significantly predicted reported commitment level. However, commitment did not significantly differ between those who stayed and those who left. No significant differences were found between the groups on the FGRS scale. The women who had left their partners were significantly more likely to describe a typical violent event in a way that portrayed the violent behavior as her partner's fault. Implications for therapists and educators are discussed.