Journal of Interpersonal Violence 1–23 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0886260515581905 jiv.sagepub.com Article The Goals of IPV Survivors Receiving Orders of Protection: An Application of the Empowerment Process Model Lauren Bennett Cattaneo, 1 Jessica Grossmann, 1 and Aliya R. Chapman 2 Abstract Protection orders (POs) are a widely recommended and commonly used intervention for intimate partner violence (IPV), but evidence for their effectiveness is mixed. This mixed methods study used the framework of empowerment to explore the goals of petitioners who seek POs, and the extent to which one group of experts considers these goals to be a good fit with the court’s intent. We collected data in three phases: (a) We conducted a qualitative study to generate a list of goals (n = 10); (b) we administered the list to a sample of IPV survivors (n = 157); and (c) we surveyed a group of attorneys (n = 10). Results showed that petitioners endorse many goals for seeking POs and that while their highest priority goals relate to safety, other nearly universally endorsed goals are more psychological in nature, such as moving on with one’s life. Petitioners also use the orders to navigate complex relationships, helping themselves to set boundaries in addition to sending a clear message to respondents. Our group of lawyers viewed petitioners’ highest priority goals as a relatively good fit with the system, but was fairly 1 George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA 2 Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, USA Corresponding Author: Lauren Bennett Cattaneo, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MSN 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. Email: lcattane@gmu.edu 581905JIV XX X 10.1177/0886260515581905Journal of Interpersonal ViolenceCattaneo et al. research-article 2015 by guest on April 28, 2015 jiv.sagepub.com Downloaded from