Use of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) to guide intervention development with women experiencing abuse

Effective intervention strategies for abused women must be developed that match women's perceived needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations among age, race, employment status, education levels, and women's perceptions of social support. Women (n = 40) from 19 to 68 years of age in a family court setting or domestic violence shelter completed the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), which was used to measure subscales of companionship, self-esteem, emotional support, and instrumental support. Abuse was documented by patient reports and protocols of the referring agencies. Significant associations were found between age and self-esteem (r = .47, p = .002) companionship (r = .29, p = .07) and emotional support (r = .27, p = .09). Also significant were the associations between race and self-esteem (r = .27, p = .10) and employment and instrumental support (r = -.32, p = .08). These significant findings may aid in the development of interventions for abused women that are matched to their social support needs, particularly if the findings are consistent in larger studies.