Summary
The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the possibility that contact with police, and certain types of police intervention, may act as predictors of psychological well-being of victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Three hypotheses were tested by analyzing questionnaire data from a community sample of 185 women. Data were collected through the Healing Journey Project, which is a longitudinal study of women who have experienced IPV. The first hypothesis was that female victims will access police assistance less often than other services in response to IPV. The second hypothesis was that the nature and frequency of police contact will predict rates of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, above and beyond abuse severity and other risk factors for PTSD. The third hypothesis was that the nature and frequency of police contact will predict rates of depression symptoms, above and beyond abuse severity and other risk factors for depression. Overall, the data did not support these three hypotheses. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed, and placed within the context of existing literature. Future directions are also discussed.