NCJ Number
226248
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review Journal Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2009 Pages: 50-58
Date Published
January 2009
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined intimate partner violence (IPV) among African-American women within the sociocultural context.
Abstract
IPV is a major public health issue, which negatively impacts about one in five African-American women. African-American families seem to be particularly vulnerable to family violence, and there is evidence that IPV has a number of deleterious effects on the mental and physical health of African-American women who are subject to abuse by their intimate partner. It is therefore of the utmost importance that agencies seek to minimize incidence of IPV against African-American women and develop effective interventions for those affected by IPV. Interventions that aim to increase African-American communities’ collective efficacy to address the intersectionality of women’s lives including gender, race, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation, and that challenge the use of violence as a means to settle disputes may help to reduce the incidence of IPV. Since African-American victims of IPV in particular face barriers that are difficult to overcome, and victims are often unaware of the services accessible to them, public health campaigns that publicize shelter and services available to African-American victims may increase service utilization within this population. Staff of such services should be trained in culturally sensitive practices so that clients from different backgrounds feel comfortable utilizing services. African-American women and other underserved populations would benefit from routine screening for IPV in medical and mental health settings. Also important is for agencies to target low income populations with adequate funding so that the women served by these agencies may obtain the financial resources that will allow them to live safely and independently. References