''Why doesn't she just leave?": A descriptive study of victim reported impediments to her safety

Responses of victims at a domestic violence advocacy center indicate that barriers exist to seeking help that are often overlooked by many mental health professionals. This descriptive study retrospectively examined 485 victim surveys gathered in a domestic violence advocacy center (Artemis Center for Alternatives to Domestic Violence) in Dayton, Ohio, over 12 months. Various reasons for returning included lack of money (45.9%, n = 184), lack of a place to go (28.5%, n = 114), and lack of police help (13.5%, n = 54). Reasons for returning indicated that barriers prevented the victim from being safe. The Barrier Model as proposed by N. Grigsby and B. Hartman (Grigsby, N. & Hartman, B. 1997, Psychotherapy 31: 465-497) is used as a vehicle to explain these findings. This model incorporates four concentric rings with the victim in the center as the innermost ring. The rings in order of external to internal represent the environmental barriers, family and social role expectations, and the psychological impact of the abuse.