Article Evaluation Assignment

The article, Factors that Influence Life Satisfaction Among Battered Women in Shelters: Those
Who Stay Versus Those Who Leave, focuses on a study on the differences between women who
left battered womens shelters and returned to their partners, versus those who stayed in the
shelter for over three months (http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu).
The main questions that the article addresses are: What are the differences b/w the women
who return to their abusers and those who separate from them? Does the amount of time a
woman spends in a shelter contribute to the increase in life satisfaction, self-esteem and
commitment levels? Among those who have used shelter services, studies have shown that
40% to 60% of women tend to return to their violent partners or after they attempt separation
from their partners (http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu). The main factors that are
considered when discussing the differences between women who return to their abusers versus
those who separate from them include financial, psychosocial, and situational factors (http://0web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu). Women who abandon shelters and return to their abusive
situations have a propensity to have lower levels of self-esteem than those who stay (http://0web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu). Those women who are committed to the shelter and
engage in a certain level of participation for at least three months are most likely to have
enhanced life satisfaction, which is directly linked to increased internal resources such as self
esteem and empowerment (http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu). Individuals who
have faced violence have the need for increased life satisfaction, which is a major component of
emotional well being and an important indicator of mental health (http://0web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu). Based on shelters focusing on the immediate needs of
individuals, such as providing legal and financial support as well as physical security, most
facilities do not have the capacity or resources available to assist in contributing to improving or
enhancing a womans feelings of life satisfaction.
The most important information in this article is the fact that battered women shelters can be
of great use and help to women who are victims of violence or could adversely be considered as
another method of control and/or manipulation. This was indicated in the article when it was
mentioned that women who remain at a shelter for three months or longer and utilize their
resources are usually empowered to move on and make better lives for themselves. The shelters
that provide women opportunities to participate in aspects related to decision making and
planning in their daily lives have more of a success rate than those who limit those opportunities
(http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu).
The main conclusions of this article include the findings of the investigations performed. Age
has proven to be a determining factor regarding whether a woman remains at a shelter for the
recommended timeframe (six months). Younger women, 18-34 years of age, were more likely to
leave the shelter and return to their abusers while women 40 years of age and up were more
likely to stay and gain an independent life. Also, women who took advantage of shelter
programs and participated at the shelter in some capacity had a higher quality of life and selfawareness. Most importantly, it has to be noted that some women seek shelters as a way of
escaping their violent partners and as a transition point that will enable them to gain a new

beginning and some women come to shelters on a very short term basis to either take a much
needed break from their abuser or to take revenge on their partner. The women who are in the
infancy stages of negotiating their internal feelings about leaving their situations are the ones
who normally do not stay long. The women who are determined to make a better life for
themselves and their children are the individuals who participate in shelter programs and seek
inclusion. Overall, increasing the womens internal resources will give them more freedom of
choice regarding the decision about whether or not to continuing living with their violent
partners (http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu).
The key concepts of this article are related specifically to empowering women who use shelter
assistance and the best ways to solicit commitment, participation and increase self esteem, which
in turn promotes life satisfaction. The main assumption the authors thinking inferred in the
article is that research would prove that personal resources would differ significantly between
women who decided to remain at shelters and those who decided to leave.
The main points of view came from the research that was compiled on the women who
utilized battered womens shelters and the author. The author had very little room for line of
reasoning due to this being an article composed of research findings. The line of reasoning came
into play regarding this article in the sense that the author felt that there was an additional need to
find out why some women chose to remain at shelters and take advantage of the programs and
resources provided and others did not.
I selected this article because while completing graduate school, I plan on volunteering at a
womens shelter and have the ultimate goal of opening one myself. Based upon my future
endeavor, I thought this article would help me in understanding the components of providing a
successful shelter experience and why some women choose not to stay.
The shelters offer battered women and their children individual and group therapy, legal
assistance, housing support, and vocational training. The staff is multidisciplinary, and the
services include counseling, legal aid, referral to other service agencies, and follow-up assistance
after the women leave the shelter (http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu). As indicated in
the citation above, providing shelter assistance involves incorporating multiple disciplines, which
in turn makes this article interdisciplinary.
The integration of knowledge contained in this article advanced my understanding the topic
simply because of the research results that were obtained. This article included little speculation
and more fact findings than anything. I am now aware that women who seek shelters have a
need for empowerment and that it is essential to increase their faith in themselves, their
abilities, and their self-assessments, in addition to giving them opportunities to learn new skills
in order to foster a positive and rewarding shelter experience.
The tools I can pull from this article to assist me in engaging in interdisciplinarity include
thinking beyond the immediate need of an individual and focusing on long term results and goals
as well as the need to incorporate multiple disciplines and resources to accomplish a common
issue.

In conclusion, this article is an example of interdisciplinarity at work due to the fact that not
one resource or discipline can assist in resolving issues women face when deciding to stay at a
shelter or leave. Interdisciplinarity is essential in this case as it is required to assist women in
increasing their faith in themselves, their abilities, and their self-assessments, in addition to
giving them opportunities to learn new skills (http://0-web.a.ebscohost.com.library.nsu.edu).

Reference

Ben-Porat, A., & Itzhaky, H. (2008). Factors that Influence Life Satisfaction Among Battered
Women in Shelters: Those Who Stay Versus Those Who Leave. Journal of Family Violence,
23(7), 597 604-597 604. doi:10.1007/s10896-008-9182-7