Information was obtained through 146 indepth interviews with formerly battered wives in southeastern Wisconsin, all of whom had become 'violence free' at least 1 year prior to the interview. Additional data were collected from 854 questionnaires sent by women from throughout the United States in response to an advertisement in 'Woman's Day' magazine. One chapter assesses various personal strategies used by battered women to cope with their circumstance. Three rules for personal strategies are that nothing works unless the husband is convinced of the wife's intent to end the abuse, verbal strategies based on caring are useless unless the husband cares about the wife, and a pattern of violence must not be allowed to develop. Other chapters focus on help that may be offered by family, friends, and neighbors; lawyers and physicians; police; counseling services; women's groups; and battered women's shelters. Two chapters examine the consequences for and ways of managing the children and what works best in ending marital violence. Appended technical reports, 31 listings for further reading, technical reports from this study, and subject index.