Health Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence and Help-seeking Among Unauthorized Immigrant Women

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) research on immigrant women who are unauthorized is particularly scarce, despite unique vulnerabilities associated with their documentation status that may impact help-seeking and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to document the frequency of lifetime IPV and related help-seeking behaviors, and examine the relationship between IPV, major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among a community health center-based sample of unauthorized, Spanish-speaking immigrant women in Philadelphia. A clinic-based sample of unauthorized Spanish-speaking women ( N = 200, ages 18-65) completed an anonymous, cross-sectional survey on IPV experiences, help-seeking behaviors, and self-reported health in 2013-2014. Chi-square tests assessed associations between sociodemographic variables and IPV. Multivariable logistic regression investigated whether IPV predicted mental health outcomes. Approximately one in three (34.5%) women reported lifetime IPV experiences. Of these, half (56.6%) sought help (formal n = 22; informal n = 25) because of the violence. Women identified not knowing where to go, believing that help was not necessary, and embarrassment as barriers to help-seeking. Symptoms consistent with MDD and PTSD were reported by 40.5% and 16% of the sample, respectively. In unadjusted logistic regression models, IPV survivors were more likely to endorse MDD and PTSD, and report low mental health HRQL scores than counterparts without IPV. In fully adjusted models, only the association between IPV and PTSD remained significant (OR: 3.80, p =.01). Study findings document high frequencies of IPV, MDD, and PTSD among this clinic-based sample of unauthorized immigrant women. Women who reported IPV also had a greater likelihood of reporting symptoms consistent with PTSD. Findings highlight the need for clinic-based mental health and trauma-informed services tailored to unauthorized immigrant women as well as interventions to decrease IPV.

Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Outcomes Among Hispanic Women in the United States: A Scoping Review

“…Regarding IPV types, Chen et al (2009) found physical, sexual, and psychological IPV to be related to common mental health disorders and mental health disorder symptoms, respectively, among Hispanic women. Similarly, physical IPV was related to poorer mental health quality of life scores among undocumented Hispanic immigrant women (Shuman et al, 2014). However, Chen et al (2009) presented mixed findings on the association between IPV types and general mental health outcomes among Hispanic women.…”

“…Rodriguez et al (2010) showed that IPV-victimized Hispanic women were significantly more likely to experience depression, both currently and persistently over time, compared to their non-IPV-victimized Hispanic counterparts. Indeed, results showed that undocumented Hispanic immigrant women with versus without experiences of IPV at any point in their lifetime were more likely to have a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (Shuman et al, 2014). Notably, nonsignificant or negative findings were found for three of the reviewed studies in this area.…”

“…Similarly, Fedovskiy et al (2008) reported that Hispanic women with a history of IPV were three times more likely to meet criteria for PTSD compared to Hispanic women with no history of IPV. Finally, Shuman et al (2014) found that undocumented Hispanic immigrant women who experienced versus did not experience lifetime IPV were significantly more likely to have PTSD.…”

The Relationship between Intimate Partner Violence and Online Help-Seeking: A Moderated Mediation Model of Emotion Dysregulation and Perceived Anonymity

“…Finally, this study pushes forward the moderating role of PA on SNS in the willingness of IPV victims to seek online help. Existing research suggests that most IPV victims are reluctant to seek outside assistance or social support [ 34 , 59 ]. However, when IPV victims have a high degree of PA in social networks, they realize that their privacy is fully protected, resulting in a strong willingness to seek help online.…”

Intimate Partner Violence and Immigration in the United States: A Systematic Review

“…Second, studies used a variety of instruments to capture IPV-V rates including versions of the Conflict Tactics Scale, the Abuse Assessment Screen (e.g., Ingram, 2007), and qualitative coding of asylum applications (e.g., Cuneo et al, 2021). Although some of the scales used to assess IPV-V were validated in English, many of the scales were translated into different languages, and construct validity was not assessed after translation (e.g., Shuman et al, 2021). Thus, it is possible that errors in translation or back-translation biased estimates.…”