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Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) face a high risk of repeated victimization (Spencer et al., 2019), yet little is known about whether they continue to seek formal support after revictimization. Help‑seeking is shaped by sociocultural contexts that may constrain survivors’ responses and contribute to continued exposure to violence (Cheng et al., 2026). Prior experiences with formal services, particularly perceptions of responsiveness and effectiveness, may further influence future help‑seeking (Ravi et al., 2021).
Taiwan offers a distinctive context, given its comprehensive IPV response system. Mandatory reporting enables population‑level analysis of repeated victimization and service use. Since 2009, lethality risk assessments using the Taiwan Intimate Partner Violence Danger Assessment (Wang, 2015) have guided referrals to coordinated services for high-risk cases. Using Taiwan’s IPV response system, this study examines gender differences in formal help-seeking among survivors who experience repeated IPV and explores how prior service use and assessed risk influence later help-seeking. The findings inform efforts to improve effective IPV services in settings where cultural norms and service systems shape survivors’ decisions to seek help.
Methods
This study analyzed administrative IPV reports and social work assessment records from a metropolitan city in Taiwan between 2020 and 2024 (n = 29,979). The analytic sample included survivors with documented repeated IPV, with approximately 33.7% reentering formal services after prior contact. Guided by ecological and service utilization frameworks, logistic regression models examined predictors of formal service use, including demographics, relationship and violence characteristics, and service factors (case intake, high-risk intensive services, and initial willingness to engage). All study procedures received Institutional Review Board approval.
Results
Results revealed significant gender differences in formal support use among revictimized survivors（OR = 0.662，p < .001）. Female survivors had approximately 1.51 times the odds of repeat service engagement than male survivors; each additional year of age gap increased the likelihood by 1%. Among women, immigrant status (OR = 0.476), Indigenous identity (OR = 1.414), disability status (OR = 1.751), lower self-perceived risk (OR = 0.962) were associated with greater likelihood of reentering formal services. Service system factors showed the strongest effects. Completing case intake more than doubled later service use (OR = 1.383), and receiving high risk intensive services increased reentry (OR = 3.821). Initial willingness to engage was also predictive, particularly among men (OR = 1.217).
Implications
These findings reconceptualize repeated case entry as evidence of ongoing formal help‑seeking rather than system failure. Higher rates of service re‑engagement following prior contact indicate that survivors increasingly rely on formal services when responding to subsequent IPV rather than remaining silent or relying on informal networks. The higher likelihood of service re‑engagement among immigrant women, Indigenous women, and survivors with disabilities points to meaningful disparities in formal support utilization. IPV service systems should prioritize continuity, reduce barriers to re‑engagement, and treat renewed contact as an opportunity to strengthen support. This reframing highlights the need for future research to better understand how social disadvantage and service system responses influence survivors’ decisions to help-seeking across different settings.