Coping Responses to Marital Violence : a Longitudinal Study of Women Who Sought Help From a Refuge, 1976-1980

The aim of this study was to investigate the problems faced by women who have to leave home because of violence; the helpfulness of the individuals and agencies to which they turn for assistance, and, in particular, the usefulness of the refuge as a response to the problems of battered women. <br> <br> The study involved carrying out semi-structured interviews with women at the refuge and then re-interviewing them after they had left. The follow-up interview took place between one and two years after the first interview. Interviews were also carried out with the women who were involved in setting up and running the refuge during the first two years of its existence. In-depth interviews were also carried out with a sub-sample of women.<br> <br> Quantitative material from the first wave of structured questionnaire interviews comprised an early edition of this collection.<br> <br> The National Social Policy and Social Change Archive (NSPSCA) at the University of Essex contains the second wave in-depth interviews in paper format. Digitised copies of this collection, along with the material deposited earlier is now available as a second edition. <br>