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

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Abstract
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.