Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
A Concept Analysis of the Help-Seeking Journey Among Domestic Violence Survivors
1School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Abstract:
The concept of help-seeking has been widely used across health disciplines to describe individuals' efforts to access care, yet its meaning remains inconsistent, particularly in the context of domestic violence. Survivors of intimate partner violence often experience multiple barriers in seeking help, with research showing that, on average, seven attempts are made before leaving an abusive relationship. Clarifying the help-seeking journey is therefore critical to understanding survivors' vulnerability and informing supportive nursing practice. This concept analysis applied Walker and Avant method, drawing on an extensive review of the literature, to identify the defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of the help-seeking journey. Findings indicate that the help-seeking journey is a dynamic and continuous process in which individuals recognize a problem, define it as requiring outside assistance, and engage in interpersonal interaction with selected sources of care, including health professionals, to enhance safety and mental well-being. By offering an operational definition of the help-seeking journey, this analysis provides a foundation for theory development, research, and practice. The clarified concept can guide psychiatric and mental health nurses in recognizing barriers, facilitating trauma-informed interventions, and shaping policies that promote timely and effective help-seeking among survivors of domestic violence.
Related Concept Videos
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
Frustration and Conflict: Approach-Approach, Approach-Avoidance
One common type of conflict is the Approach–Approach Conflict. In this case, a person faces two desirable options,...
Self-Help Support Groups
Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness
One of the primary strengths of self-help...
Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
Bystander Effect