"Women suffer 2,100,000 injuries annually as a result of domestic violence compared to 522,000 injuries from car accidents and 131,120 injuries resulting from rape. These battered women face difficult decisions as a result of living in violent households. The most fundamental of these is the decision to stay or leave. Fear - both emotional and physical - is present in every case." "Empirically based, yet accessibly written for mental health and social service practitioners, this powerful volume argues against blaming women for their victimization. It provides comprehensive and current theories on why women stay in abusive relationships - and why they leave. The authors examine learned helplessness, learned hopelessness, fear, post-traumatic stress, and the battered women's syndrome. Poignant case studies depict the heroic efforts of survivors to liberate themselves from the cultural mores, sexism, and specific learning patterns that entrapped them. An excellent resource, it is ideal for anyone seeking to better understand and address this pervasive social tragedy."--Jacket.