Longitudinal helpseeking patterns among victims of intimate partner violence: The relationship between legal and extralegal services

Current theory assumes that intimate partner violence (IPV) victims' helpseeking is a process that unfolds over time rather than a one-time event, but this assumption has never been explored with longitudinal data. This study describes the pattern of formal helpseeking efforts in a sample of 406 IPV victims over the course of a year. Further, we explore the relationship between legal and extralegal helpseeking, reflecting current controversy over how these two types of interventions should be coordinated. We constructed and tested latent growth curve models using structural equation modeling to explore helpseeking patterns, and found that repeated helpseeking was common, with 80% seeking additional help during follow-up. Results also showed that legal and extralegal helpseeking decreased together over time, and that this similarity in pattern can best be described as a connection between behaviors that are similarly influenced by time-specific events like re-abuse, rather than a connection between overarching trajectories. Results suggest that time varying factors are more important than stable characteristics in predicting helpseeking patterns, and support coordination through a one-stop-shopping model rather than primarily through referral systems.