Accessibility to resources: helping rural women in abusive partner relationships become free from abuse

Women in abusive partner relationships seek useful support from family, friends, and the community but are often unsuccessful. Rural women may be especially at risk because of geographical isolation. It was predicted that having a supportive network with access to resources would enable rural women in abusive partner relationships to become free from abuse. We interviewed rural women in previous abusive partner relationships with respect to past and current abuse, supportive and nonsupportive networks, and access to resources. Results indicated that having supportive persons predicted declines in long-term abuse when information and advice were provided that helped women access resources. Nonsupportive persons hindered women's access to resources and were a factor in keeping them bound in abusive relationships.