A Psychological Exploration of Help-Seeking in Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From a Scoping Review

Abstract

Researchers in various countries have identified that intimate partner violence affects victims of all ages. The process of psychological recovery from experiences of intimate partner violence must commence with the victim seeking help. The present review was conducted in accordance with the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and reported using the PRISMA-ScR checklist (Liberati et al., 2009). In order to be considered as eligible, the studies had to meet the following criteria: they had to be published in English between 2020 and 2025; they had to be peer-reviewed; and they had to examine the experience of seeking help among victims of intimate partner violence in the context of heterosexual relationships, with a minimum age of 15 years. A total of 40 articles that met the specified inclusion criteria were identified through a comprehensive search of three major databases. Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The results of this scoping review reveal an interplay between findings across four main themes: The following factors must be considered: the complexity of victim dynamics; social and cultural identities and systemic inequalities in experiences of and responses to violence; the psychological landscape of individuals seeking psychological support; and preferences and the roles of informal and formal networks sensitive to cultural and community contexts. These findings have the potential to provide insights for future psychological research and practice by highlighting the importance of developing informal support networks rooted in cultural and community contexts.