Comparison of Help Seeking Between Latino and Non-Latino Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

• NCJ Number: 217343
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2007 Pages: 159-171
• Author(s): Eben M. Ingram
• Date Published: February 2007
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study compared Latinos and non-Latinos in terms of sociodemographic factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) and help seeking behaviors.

Abstract

The findings indicate that Latinos engaged in help seeking behaviors at approximately the same rate as non-Latinos. Lifetime prevalence of IPV was lower for Latinos than for non-Latinos but past-year prevalence was higher for Latinos. Latinos also reported greater rates of witnessing violence in the home as children. The most common help seeking behavior for both Latinos and non-Latinos was talking to friends or family about their abuse. The only major difference in help seeking behaviors between the two groups was that non-Latinos sought help from shelters at greater rates than Latinos. The author suggests that the noted lack of informal social support found in previous research with Latino populations may be caused by immigration and other cultural factors that separate or otherwise break down family bonds among Latinos. Since Latinos frequently reach out to family when they are being abused, organizations that serve the families of abused women should focus on the development of interventions that enhance family support. Data were drawn from a previous study that used a random digit dial (RDD) telephone survey to assess the impact of coordinated community responses to IPV. The survey was completed by 600 individuals from 10 nonrandomly selected sites and 10 matched comparison sites located across different regions of the country. The survey focused on knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about IPV as well as use of services, help seeking behavior, response to victims, and prevalence and past-year experience of IPV. Spanish-speaking participants were interviewed by an interviewer fluent in Spanish. Chi-square tests were used to compare the responses of Latinos to those of non-Latinos. Future research should focus on the evaluation of population-based interventions to reduce violence and increase help seeking behavior among Latinos. Tables, references