Stage three is often marked by a pileup of abusive episodes and noticeable effects of the violence on their children.

'Women make preparations to leave, such as finding a place to stay or secretly saving up money. This stage is important for women as they switch from thinking about leaving to actually doing something about it,' she said.

'Then, at stage four, when women take action, we see a lot of what we call 'back and forthing' because when women leave, the emotions often come back. They need clarity. They want to be physically and emotionally connected again,' said Hardesty.

The last stage, maintenance, is achieved when women have been gone for six months or more. 'With continued contact through court-ordered child visitation, the potential for ongoing abuse remains as well as continued confusion over the abuser's role in the woman's life,' she said.

'Children can be a powerful influence in motivating a woman to get out of a relationship and in pulling her back in,' Hardesty added.

These findings were published in the Journal of Family Theory & Review.