Homeless battered women experienced patterns of violence that represented phases in their abusive relationships
Objective
To describe the reported patterns of violence of homeless battered women and their experiences in seeking shelter.
Design
Exploratory qualitative study using semistructured interviews.
Setting
An urban and a rural women's shelter in southeastern USA.
Participants
7 women (age range 24–51 y) who had been battered by their male partner, were currently homeless because of battering, and were living in a shelter. 3 women were white and 4 were black. 4 women were unemployed. 3 were married, 2 had common law relationships, 1 was engaged to be married, and 1 had a boyfriend. All women had used alcohol or drugs in their most recent relationship. All women believed their homeless status was due to the extreme abuse they had experienced by their partner.
Methods
Each woman participated in an individual semistructured interview conducted in a private room at the shelter where she was staying. Efforts were made to ensure the privacy and …
