Predicting disengagement from judicial proceedings by female victims of intimate partner violence in Spain: A systematic replication with prospective data

Abstract

This article examines which variables predict disengagement from legal proceedings by victims of intimate partner violence in the first steps of the Spanish judicial process. We replicated a previous retrospective study with a prospective sample of 393 women. The relationships of sociodemographic, emotional, motivational, and psychological variables with procedural withdrawals were analyzed. We developed a binary logistic regression model that predicts disengagement with two variables: the contact with the abuser and the interaction between this contact and the thought of going back with him. Interesting differences between the current and the retrospective study were found. Results are discussed extensively in the conclusions.