TY - JOUR
T1 - Latina and Caribbean Immigrant Women’s Experiences With Intimate Partner Violence
T2 - A Story of Ambivalent Sexism
AU - Alvarez, Carmen
AU - Lameiras-Fernandez, Maria
AU - Holliday, Charvonne N.
AU - Sabri, Bushra
AU - Campbell, Jacquelyn
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Despite extensive descriptive work on intimate partner violence (IPV) among Latina and Caribbean immigrant women (LCIW), culturally appropriate interventions for primary and secondary prevention of IPV for this population remain lacking. Developing culturally appropriate and effective prevention interventions for abused LCIW requires a more nuanced understanding regarding the dynamics of cultural values, immigration status, and manifestations of IPV. The purposes of this study were to examine LCIW’s experiences of domestic violence, using a gender stereotype framework, and to describe how ascribing to gender stereotypes perpetuates and normalizes experiences of abuse. Thirty semistructured individual interviews were conducted with LCIW (a) who were at least 18 years old and (b) who had experienced abuse from an intimate partner within the last 2 years. Overall, women described themselves as communal—being caretakers, submissive, and dependent on men. From their perspective, they described their male abusers as being controlling, angry, and violent. The risk for experiencing violence increased when women defied their prescriptive gender roles by seeking employment and by developing their social networks and activities. Substance abuse and alcohol misuse also compounded their partners’ abusive behaviors. Despite some women experiencing more abuse after migration to the United States, coming to the United States exposed them to other opportunities and ways of being a woman, which facilitated an awareness about their abuse and was a motivator for help-seeking and ending abuse. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing traditional gender stereotypes for secondary prevention of IPV.
AB - Despite extensive descriptive work on intimate partner violence (IPV) among Latina and Caribbean immigrant women (LCIW), culturally appropriate interventions for primary and secondary prevention of IPV for this population remain lacking. Developing culturally appropriate and effective prevention interventions for abused LCIW requires a more nuanced understanding regarding the dynamics of cultural values, immigration status, and manifestations of IPV. The purposes of this study were to examine LCIW’s experiences of domestic violence, using a gender stereotype framework, and to describe how ascribing to gender stereotypes perpetuates and normalizes experiences of abuse. Thirty semistructured individual interviews were conducted with LCIW (a) who were at least 18 years old and (b) who had experienced abuse from an intimate partner within the last 2 years. Overall, women described themselves as communal—being caretakers, submissive, and dependent on men. From their perspective, they described their male abusers as being controlling, angry, and violent. The risk for experiencing violence increased when women defied their prescriptive gender roles by seeking employment and by developing their social networks and activities. Substance abuse and alcohol misuse also compounded their partners’ abusive behaviors. Despite some women experiencing more abuse after migration to the United States, coming to the United States exposed them to other opportunities and ways of being a woman, which facilitated an awareness about their abuse and was a motivator for help-seeking and ending abuse. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing traditional gender stereotypes for secondary prevention of IPV.
KW - Latina Caribbean
KW - Latina and cultural contexts
KW - gender stereotypes
KW - intimate partner violence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048030778&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/0886260518777006
DO - 10.1177/0886260518777006
M3 - Article
C2 - 29860910
AN - SCOPUS:85048030778
SN - 0886-2605
VL - 36
SP - 3831
EP - 3854
JO - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
JF - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
IS - 7-8
ER -