Female survivors of violence and abuse - Their regrets of action and inaction in coping

Two hundred and eighty-six female survivors of violence and abuse were surv eyed about their major regrets of action and inaction following the experie nce of violence. Two factor analyses, with varimax rotation. were conducted on the questionnaire data to identify recurrent themes underlying survivor s' regrets. The factor analysis of regrettable actions yielded three factor s centering on themes of isolation and alienation. Factor analyses of regre ts about inaction, or failure to act yielded four factors centering on them es of insufficient action for self-care and self-protection. and reluctance to seek a change of venue and identity These factors accounted for a signi ficant percentage of the total variance. Qualitative data derived from 32 i n-depth interviews provided further confirmation of the presence of these s ame themes. As hypothesized the number of regrets of inaction far exceeded those of action. Implications of the findings are discussed with respect to the changing role of professionals working with women's experience of viol ence.