Dependent-care by battered women: protecting their children

The phenomenon of battered women's dependent-care (Orem, 1991), that is, their efforts to prevent hazards to the life, health, and well-being of their children, was examined. Open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers (N = 50) at battered women's shelters in a metropolitan area in the Midwest. The women demonstrated deliberate, creative, and diverse dependent-care. Caring action and timing provided the basis for patterns of dependent-care. Health care providers need to recognize these caring actions and consider their value from the perspective of battered women.