Intimate Partner Violence in Immigrant and Refugee Communities: Challenges, Promising Practices and Recommendations

Reviews research on intimate partner violence in immigrant and refugee communities and examines victims' needs, challenges for agencies, and promising practices for prevention. Makes recommendations for funders, service providers, and policy makers

Using Interactive Theater to Create Socioculturally Relevant Community‐Based Intimate Partner Violence Prevention

This article describes the use of interactive theater, audience response assessment, and peer educators to create community‐generated approaches for bystander interventions (i.e., actions taken by people who become aware of controlling, abusive and violent behavior of others) to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) and to foster change in community norms. We include a case example of an ongoing university–community partnership, which mobilizes community members to develop and implement socioculturally relevant IPV prevention programs in multiple Asian communities. We used interactive theater at a community event—a walk to raise awareness about IPV in South Asian communities—and examined how the enacted bystander interventions reflect specific community contexts. We detail the challenges and limitations we have encountered in our attempts to implement this approach in collaboration with our community partners.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116302/1/ajcp9700.pd

Battered Women's Coping Strategies and Psychological Distress: Differences by Immigration Status

People are rarely passive, and battered women are no exception. This study investigated the types of coping strategies women of Japanese descent (both Japan-born and U.S.-born) chose and their perceived effectiveness in dealing with their partners' violence. Japan-born respondents were significantly less likely to use “active” strategies and perceived them to be less effective than did U.S.-born respondents. For the Japan-born, the more effective they perceived “active” strategies, the higher their psychological distress, whereas the more effective they perceived “passive” strategies, the lower their psychological distress. In contrast, for the U.S.-born, the higher the perceived effectiveness of “active” strategies, the lower their psychological distress, and the perceived effectiveness of “passive” strategies had little effect on their psychological distress. The complex relationship between individuals' country of birth, the choice and perceived effectiveness of coping strategies, and psychological distress calls for increased attention to the role of culture in studies of coping and domestic violence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44062/1/10464_2004_Article_371215.pd

Enculturation and Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence and Gender Roles in an Asian Indian Population: Implications for Community‐Based Prevention

This study examined the relationships among enculturation, attitudes supporting intimate partner violence (IPV‐supporting attitudes), and gender role attitudes among one of the largest Asian Indian population groups in the US. Data were collected via computer‐assisted telephone interviews with a random sample of Gujarati men and women aged 18–64 in Metropolitan Detroit. Using structural equation modeling, we modeled the effects of three components of enculturation (behavior, values, and community participation) on gender role attitudes and IPV‐supporting attitudes among married respondents (N = 373). Analyses also accounted for the effects of respondent age, education, religious service attendance, perceived financial difficulty, and lengths of residence in the US. The second‐order, overall construct of enculturation was the strongest predictor of IPV‐supporting attitudes (standardized B = 0.61), but not gender role attitudes. Patriarchal gender role attitudes were positively associated with IPV‐supporting attitudes (B = 0.49). In addition to the overall effect of the enculturation construct, two of the components of enculturation had specific effects. “Enculturation‐values” had a specific positive indirect association with IPV‐supporting attitudes, through its relationship with patriarchal gender role attitudes. However, “enculturation‐community participation” was negatively associated with IPV‐supporting attitudes, suggesting the importance of community‐based prevention of IPV among this immigrant population group.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117013/1/ajcp9627.pd

The relationship between intimate partner violence and PTSD: An application of Cox regression with time-varying covariates

This study uses Cox regression with time-varying covariates to examine the relationship between intimate partner violence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a random sample of Japanese American women and immigrant women from Japan ( N = 211). Because applications of survival analysis in trauma research are scarce, this paper presents the utility of this analytical approach by contrasting it with other common methods of analysis (chi-square tests and Cox regression with covariates that do not change over time).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/35039/1/345_ftp.pd

Measuring the Lifetime Experience of Domestic Violence: Application of the Life History Calendar Method

In the absence of a gold standard, research on domestic violence relies primarily on self-report, the quality of which is known to decline as the length of the recall period increases. Eliciting valid and reliable self-report data is crucial to the development of prevention and intervention policies and services. Nevertheless, existing measures typically do not incorporate devices to facilitate respondents\u27 recall of the lifetime experience of domestic violence. This article describes the application of the Life History Calendar (LHC) method (Freedman, Thornton, Camburn, Alwin, & Young-DeMarco, 1988) to increase a respondent\u27s recall of domestic violence victimization over the lifecourse. The LHC method elicits memorable information of a personal nature (e.g., children\u27s birth dates) and uses this information to facilitate the recall of less memorable events. A recent field test of this LHC measure indicates its utility in assessing domestic violence victimization, which takes place in a complex sequence of episodes and often involves multiple perpetrators over the lifecourse

Intimate Partner Violence, Welfare Receipt, and Health Status of Low-Income African American Women: A Lifecourse Analysis

Although the association among intimate partner violence (IPV), welfare receipt, and health status has been well-established, little is known about the temporal sequencing of these events. In a random sample of low-income African American women in an urban Midwestern county, lifecourse data about IPV and welfare receipt were obtained using the Life History Calendar method (D. Freedman, A. Thornton, D. Camburn, D. Alwin, & L. Young-DeMarco, 1988), along with data about mental and physical health status. Controlling for relevant factors, longitudinal analyses found that previous experience of IPV increased women's odds of receiving welfare benefits in a given year, but previous welfare receipt did not. Cumulative IPV, but not cumulative welfare receipt, was associated with current and past-year health problems. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that IPV leads women to turn to welfare assistance, and that compromised physical and mental health due to past cumulative IPV interferes with women's gainful employment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44077/1/10464_2005_Article_9009.pd

Risk of intimate partner violence: Role of childhood sexual abuse and sexual initiation in women in Japan

Objectives This population-based study examined the prevalence and nature of childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV) and the relationship between the two types of victimization.Methods As part of a World Health Organization multi-national study, data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a stratified, multistage sample of 1371 women aged 18-49 in the city of Yokohama. Methods of survival analyses were used to assess relationships among women's experiences in childhood (e.g., sexual abuse or exposure to IPV against the mother), timing and nature of sexual initiation, and IPV.Results Three percent of the women reported having been sexually abused during childhood by someone they knew, and 7% reported childhood sexual abuse by strangers. Estimated prevalence of physical IPV was 17.70% and 8.49% for sexual IPV. Childhood sexual abuse by known perpetrators, exposure to IPV against the mother, and early sexual initiation, independently contributed to an elevated probability of experiencing IPV in adulthood.Conclusions The high estimated probability of childhood sexual abuse and IPV, and the significant association between the two forms of victimization indicate a need for increased prevention efforts beginning in childhood and adolescence and prior to initiating intimate relationships.Violence against women Childhood sexual abuse Intimate partner violence Domestic violence Family violence Exposure to domestic violence Revictimization Sexual initiation Asian Japanese

Age Adjustment and Recall Bias in the Analysis of Domestic Violence Data: Methodological Improvements Through the Application of Survival Analysis Methods

This methodological paper presents the utility of survival analysis methods to provide age adjustment in the analysis of domestic violence data. These methods improve the estimation of lifetime probability of domestic violence, improve identification of patterns of first victimization over the lifespan, and provide methods of testing risk factors for first victimization while adjusting for the respondents' age. Most importantly, these methods allow a new investigation of recall bias. Results suggest that lifetime probability of abuse may have been substantially underestimated in previous studies because of problems in recall/disclosure encountered by middle-aged women.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44913/1/10896_2004_Article_374619.pd