Recent research on domestic violence has sought to provide insight into the psychological consequences of such violence. A conceptual framework, which suggests that both situational and person-centered factors contribute to adjustment to violence and affect a woman's personal and social resources, was formulated to examine the impact of stress, personal resources, social support, institutional responsiveness, and coping upon the psychological health of battered women. Women (N=60) completed questionnaires within a week of their arrival at a shelter for battered women. Analyses of results indicated that increased levels of violence, minimal personal resources, lack of institutional and informal social support, and greater avoidant coping styles were related to lowered self-esteem and more severe depressive symptoms. The results suggest that stress, level of violence, and personal resources may have indirect effects upon functioning through their impact on coping responses and the availability of social support. The findings also suggest that women with fewer social contacts unaccompanied by their partner are less likely to receive supportive responses from friends. (PAS)