THE ROLE OF RESOURCE LOSS IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

Abstract

This study advanced knowledge regarding the mechanisms through which intimate partner violence leads to psychological and financial distress. Data were collected from 141 female domestic violence survivors who were abused by a male partner within the past six months. Four hierarchical regression analyses revealed that psychological, physical, and economic abuse were predictive of posttraumatic stress, depression, and economic self-sufficiency among survivors. Guided by the Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 1998), the loss of financial, work, and interpersonal resources also predicted these three outcomes, above and beyond abuse experiences. Specifically, psychological abuse, economically controlling behaviors, interpersonal resource loss and financial resource loss remained unique predictors after all of the other variables were entered into the models. Additionally, bootstrap mediation analyses showed that financial resource loss partially mediated the relationship between economic abuse and economic self-sufficiency. Together, these findings can be used to inform future interventions to promote the financial and psychological well-being of survivors.