ABSTRACT
Most research on domestic violence focuses on violence that takes place prior to separation (Anderson & Saunders, 2003). Relatively few investigations have examined the prevalence and characteristics of violence during separation or divorce (McMurray, Froyland, Bell, & Curnow, 2000). This is despite an increasing pool of potential victims, given reports of a trend over the last century towards increasing divorce rates in all Western nations (Hewitt, Baxter, & Western, 2005) and worldwide (McMurray, 1997), as well as recognition that separation from cohabiting unions is similar to marital separation (Walker, Logan, Jordan, & Campbell, 2004).
