Women experiencing intimate partner violence in Hong Kong often wait more than five years before entering a crisis shelter, and a cross-sectional study of 681 women has now identified which factors are associated with that delay. Researchers analyzed standardized intake and risk-assessment records from women admitted to three crisis refuge centers between 2020 and 2025, classifying delayed help-seeking as an abuse duration exceeding five years before first shelter entry, while five years or less was classified as regular help-seeking. The participants had a mean age of 40.5 years.
The sample split almost evenly between the two groups: 359 women were classified in the regular help-seeking group and 322 in the delayed help-seeking group. In bivariate analyses, delayed help-seeking was associated with a higher lifetime prevalence of physical assault, injury, and sexual abuse, suggesting that women who waited longer had also endured more severe forms of violence over their lifetimes.
To untangle which characteristics independently predicted delayed help-seeking, the researchers used sequential multivariable logistic regression models. Variables included sociodemographic characteristics, maternal and child physical and mental health, IPV characteristics, assessed risk, children’s exposure to violence, and perpetrator characteristics. Older maternal age, older child age, and a greater number of children were each associated with higher odds of delayed help-seeking, whereas having a child with a chronic illness was associated with lower odds of delay.
The perpetrator-related findings were more nuanced. Histories of perpetrating intimate partner violence or child abuse and neglect, as well as manipulative behavior, were associated with higher odds of delayed help-seeking in crude analyses. After adjustment, however, these same factors were associated with lower odds of delay, a reversal that points to how statistical relationships can change once other variables are accounted for.
The authors’ conclusion emphasizes the role of children in shaping the timing of escape. While child and perpetrator characteristics were associated with the timing of first shelter entry, the study suggests that perpetrator manipulative behavior acts as a critical catalyst for accelerated help-seeking when it directly threatens child well-being. In other words, mothers may endure abuse for themselves but seek shelter sooner when their children’s safety is directly at stake.
The study’s design carries important limitations. As a cross-sectional analysis of refuge intake records, it captures only women who eventually reached crisis shelters in Hong Kong between 2020 and 2025, and it cannot establish causal relationships between the measured correlates and the timing of help-seeking. Women who never entered a shelter are not represented in the data, so the findings describe correlates of delay among shelter users rather than the full population of women experiencing intimate partner violence.
The authors argue that the findings point to a need for accessible, survivor-centered services that address caregiving responsibilities and the health and safety needs of women and their children. Because larger families and those with older children showed higher odds of delayed entry, support systems that account for the practical barriers facing mothers with multiple dependents may be particularly important.
Intimate partner violence is described in the study as a major public health issue, and delays in accessing support may prolong exposure to violence and limit opportunities for intervention.
Subject of Research: Correlates of delayed help-seeking among women experiencing intimate partner violence in Hong Kong
Article Title: Correlates of delayed help-seeking among women experiencing intimate partner violence: A cross-sectional study in Hong Kong
Article References: Chan, K. L., Wu, C., Wong, C. L. B., Lee, S. W. B., & Chen, Q. (2026). Correlates of delayed help-seeking among women experiencing intimate partner violence: A cross-sectional study in Hong Kong. BMC Women's Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-026-05056-z
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-026-05056-z
Keywords: intimate partner violence, help-seeking, Hong Kong, crisis shelters, cross-sectional study, child exposure, perpetrator behavior, maternal health, domestic violence, logistic regression, Correlates, delayed
News Source: Harold Sullivan. (October 30, 2026). Older Age, More Children Linked to Delayed Shelter Entry Among Abused Women in Hong Kong. Scienmag.
