The current research also does not indicate clearly what happens to women who stay in abusive relationships and try to deal with the abuse in other ways. Services for victims and legal policies designed to sanction and deter offenders and protect victims have grown starting in the 1970's, although police are still reluctant to arrest abusers. The attitudes and perceptions of professionals have also sometimes posed a barrier to improved protection for victims. Further research should focus on the factors associated with the risk of further assault or threat, the measures that most effectively reduce these dangers, and the relationship between the impact of violence on the lives of women and their use of legal and extralegal alternatives. Footnotes and 89 references.