The Influence of Spirituality on Service Utilization and Satisfaction for Women Residing in a Domestic Violence Shelter

Abstract

Little is known about the influence of spirituality on service utilization and satisfaction among women survivors of intimate partner abuse (IPA). The purpose of this study was to examine differences between shelter and faith-based service utilization and satisfaction in a shelter sample (N = 73). Multiple regression techniques were used. The findings suggest that survivors with higher spirituality were more likely to utilize faith-based resources than shelters. Those who experienced greater IPA reported dissatisfaction with faith-based resources. These results suggest that spirituality should be incorporated into shelter services to meet survivors' spiritual needs, and faith-based services should adequately address IPA.