*2.2. Procedure*

The study was initially approved by the institutional Ethics Committee. For the enrolment of the participants, it became necessary in the first stage, to contact through electronic email, di fferent victim support institutions, which were informed of the purposes of the present study. All the contacted institutions agreed to cooperate in this study, and during 5 months of announcements, 25 persons requested details about the study. After explaining the study in detail, 15 of these 25 persons agreed to participate in the study. Of those 15, 13 participants met the eligibility criteria and were thus interviewed. The two excluded subjects had already perpetrated violence on dating partners.

After obtaining the informed consent of the participants, the interviews were conducted in the facilities of the support institution and also in a room of the university where the study was carried out, specifically reserved for that purpose. The interviews had a duration ranging from 45 to 120 min and were carried out by researchers with experience in interviewing victims and with specific training in the scope of DV. Due to the possibility of dealing with potentially disturbing experiences, participants were also warned of the possible psychological consequences of the interview. Where necessary, and in the interest of the participants, further specialized support was also made available. The interviews were recorded using a digital audio and were verbatim transcribed in order to preserve the integrity of the reports, aiming further analysis.
