Sample
Ethical approval was obtained from the university research
ethics board. A community convenience sample of English speaking
women 19 years of age or older who had been
living separately from their abusive partners for 3 months
to 3 years was recruited over 12 months from the four
sites, using advertisements, service agencies, and word of
mouth. As a primary health care intervention, the New Brunswick iHEAL
was intended for all women who had separated from abusive
partners, and women were not excluded on the basis
of their substance use or mental health issues, common
exclusionary criteria for domestic violence programs.