To analyse the experience from the point of view of women who have suffered domestic violence. To identify factors related to continuing or resolving the problem.
Qualitative interpretative research from a phenomenological perspective.
Women, detected in primary care, who have suffered domestic violence and have recognised the problem, and who accepted to participate in this research.
Six health centres in the city of Malaga.
The technique used is the biographical narration using individual open interviews between social workers and women. This narration was tape-recorded and verbatim transcribed to written text. Grounded theory. Qualitative analysis was made with ATLAS-TI 5.2.
A total of 35 narrations were analysed. The abuse situation was described as 鈥渨hirl-wind鈥?metaphor (blindness-isolation-helplessness-suffering-destiny-dependence-fantasies -about love, protection, happiness, change- and vicious circles). Enduring experience is reported to be related to several factors: inculcated gender values, family-ideal, uncertainty, annulment, personal failure sensation, love, support defects, self-image, children protection, multiple fears and material aspects. They identified two types of 鈥渆xit鈥? passive and active with different mechanisms and repercussions. Exit experience is related to: limit situations, children intervention, family ideal attempts, and fear-loss. Leaving is a transitional process or 鈥減athway鈥? Institutional support is not always guaranteed and emotional support is better evaluated than a legal one.
Enduring and coming out are reported as two qualitatively different states, which involve many cultural and personal factors. There is a gap between these two states with a process that varies depending on the involvement of the women in decision-making.