About the Book
This is the first book to examine domestic violence in terms of a continuum of five distinct categories or levels of woman battering. This book, based on 501 in-depth qualitative interviews, places emphasis on how to recognize the warning signs of a dangerous relationship and urges women who have been battered in a dating, cohabiting, or marital relationship to end it quickly. This very practical and comprehensive study, which took more than seven years to complete, includes a step by step safety protocol and survival guidelines. The primary advantage of this new classification system is that professional counselors, social works, criminal justice professionals, and advocates will be better prepared with diagnostic indicators, risk factors, legal remedies, and ways to assess severity and potential lethality of abusive incidents. Detailed case histories are provided of formerly battered women of varying ages and backgrounds. Ending Intimate Abuse examines critical incidents in childhood and adolescence, the first and worst battering incidents, crises precipitants and traumatic events, and the turning points that led to women breaking off with their abusive boyfriends or husbands permanently. The authors are a husband (professor and researcher) and wife (women's health advocate) team who firmly believe that this book is designed to prepare professionals, parents, and concerned young women to understand the often complicated dynamics that differentiate the women who end the relationship soon after being battered from the women who stay. The book includes a national directory of domestic violence hotlines and intervention programs and a detailed glossary of key terms. It also includes several chapters with empirically based date rape prevention guidelines as well as the latest methods for improving police and court responses on the college campus and in the community.
Review :
"Ending Intimate Abuse is a must-read book to raise consciousness, increase reporting, prevent or reduce the occurrence of abuse, facilitate its adjudication, and most importantly to bring about individual healing and trauma reduction quickly. I predict that this exceptionally well-written, highly readable and practical book will become indispensable to all young adults, high school and college educators, and their concerned parents." --Elizabeth Plionis, Ph.D, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, National Catholic School of Social Services, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
"Preventing intimate abuse is the challenge this significant book undertakes. The very moving women's stories, together with Roberts' cogent insights, give us a fresh perspective. The key turning points and survival guidelines make this new book a must read for women of all ages, and especially college students." -Linda Mills, Ph.D., J.D., Professor of Social Work, Affiliated Professor of Law, New York University, and author of Insult to Injury
"Ending Intimate Abuse should be included on every high school's and college's list of required reading. I have learned more from Ending Intimate Abuse, especially about early dating violence intervention, than from any other book in a long time. Thank you, Al and Beverly, for your potentially lifesaving research." -Victoria L. Lutz, J.D., Executive Director, Crossroads Safehouse, Fort Collins, Colorado
"Roberts and Roberts landmark study translates a complex issue into concrete useful information! Every young person needs to know the warning signs of abusive dating behaviors discussed in this book. Millions more need to know the practical steps to establish safety and mobilize community resources for themselves - or friends and loved ones- trapped in relationships of intimate abuse. The voices of survivors demystify practical guidelines and strategies to escape abuse while their stories remind us of the power unleashed with Ending Intimate Abuse." -Anne H. Flitcraft M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
"Ending Intimate Abuse is about 501 women who suffered violence at the hands of men they trusted - dates, boyfriends, fianc�s, and husbands. Ending Intimate Abuse is a good read and a powerful book. I recommend this book for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in the helping professions and for policymakers. Its combination of theoretical insight with practical suggestions makes a significant contribution to the field of domestic violence." --Kathleen M. Heide, Ph.D., Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida and licensed clinical psychologist. Author of Young Killers
"This is the first book to focus necessary attention on the clinical challenges and obstacles in providing crisis-oriented and time-limited treatment to young battered women. The compelling and realistic case scenarios systematically examine how these women were trapped in abusive intimate relationships. It documents the turning points and positive interventions that facilitated individual healing and reduced trauma.Coauthored by a husband and wife team, the book expands knowledge of intimate partner abuse and contributes to the knowledge base of applied crisis intervention in forensic social work and psychology practice.I predict that this exceptionally well-written, highly readable, informative, and practical book will become indispensable to all mental health professionals, young adults, high school and college educators, and concerned parents."--Elizabeth Pilonis, Brief Treatments and Crisis Intervention
"The strength of this work by Roberts and Roberts lies in their focus on the initial stages of the abusive relationship, often in high school or college...Ending Intimate Abuse gives the reader an honest and emotional look into the experiences of victims of domestic violence...this work will be of great value. It provides insights into what victims experience and the differences between those individuals who leave violent relationships and those who stay in them...perhaps the most important contribution of this book is the practical advice it offers to victims and their families, as well as to those who are offering professional help to them."--Journal of Marriage and Family
"Over the last 30 years, domestic violence has enjoyed unprecedented attention by researchers, policy makers, and helping professionals. And yet, even though we know that young women are at the highest risk for partner violence, startlingly few books have been written with this audience in mind. Ending Intimate Abuse is a notable exception. In Part I, Roberts and Roberts describe the results of a qualitative study of 501 formerly battered women recruited through a convenience sampleIn Part II, the authors provide practical guidelines for professionals and friends and family who may be called upon to assist young battered women. The authors' proposed typology and suggested differences between groups are important contributions to the literature, and the book uses rich examples that speak directly to a young adult audience - an absolute rarity."--Greg Merrill, International Journal of Social Welfare
