Associated With Less Violence and Better Functioning for Abused Is Length of Shelter Stay and Receipt of a Protection Order

To provide differential effectiveness on length of stay at a shelter and receipt versus non-receipt of a protection order (PO), and outcomes of violence, functioning, and resiliency, in 300 abused women (150 first-time users of a shelter and 150 first-time applicants for a PO) who participate in a 7-year study with outcomes measured every 4 months. Four months after a shelter stay or application for a PO, abused women staying 21 days or less at a shelter reported similar outcomes compared with women staying longer than 21 days. Similarly, women receiving and not receiving a PO reported overall equivalent outcomes. Seeking shelter or justice services results in 1Texas Woman’s University, Houston, TX, USA 2Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX, USA Corresponding Author: Judith McFarlane, Parry Chair in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, College of Nursing, Texas Woman’s University, 6700 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Email: [email protected] 526060 JIVXXX10.1177/0886260514526060Journal of Interpersonal ViolenceMcFarlane et al. research-article2014 by guest on August 20, 2014 jiv.sagepub.com Downloaded from McFarlane et al. 2749 similar improved outcomes for abused women 4 months later, regardless of length of stay at the shelter or receipt or no receipt of the PO. Contact with shelter and justice services results in positive outcomes for abused women and indicates the urgent need to increase availability, accessibility, and acceptability of shelter and justice services.