Mexican Immigrant Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Conceptualization and Descriptions of Abuse

Abstract

This phenomenological qualitative study examines intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by a sample of 29 Mexican immigrant women residing in New York and St. Louis. The findings reveal important insights about culturally specific abuse tactics employed by batterers and the forms of abuse that are experienced as most hurtful to the survivors. Ten different abusive tactics emerged: verbal, economic, physical, sexual, and extended family abuse, social isolation, physical abuse of children, stalking and monitoring, stolen bride, and sex trafficking. Cultural values and expectations appear to be inextricably linked to how the participants characterized the severity of each of the abusive tactics as evidenced by which abusive behaviors the participants found most hurtful. The findings will help service providers have a better understanding of the role cultural context plays in the IPV experiences of Mexican immigrant women.

The influence of masculinity scripts on heterosexual Hispanic college men’s perceptions of female-initiated sexual coercion.

“…For example, using a condom during sex can be perceived as a sign of fear or weakness among subgroups of Hispanic men (Amaro, 1995;Galanti, 2003;Noar & Morokoff, 2002). Also, being able to control one's girlfriend or wife through force or fear has been viewed as acceptable and can increase a Mexican American man's prestige among his peers and other social networks, according to some studies (Galanti, 2003;Kyriakakis, Dawson, & Edmond, 2012;Sobralske, 2006b). These beliefs illustrate the culturally specific script framework researchers traditionally use to explore Hispanic men's expressions of masculinity: "machismo.…”

A Multi-Systems Life Course Perspective of Economic Abuse

“…The abuse tactics employed by husbands were inextricably linked with cultural expectations of married Mexican women and reflected patriarchal expectations of women in Mexico (Kyriakakis et al, 2012). EA in this study consisted of economic deprivation, the prevention of women from working, taking women's paychecks, and allotting them allowances.…”

Risk and Resilience of Immigrant Women in Intimate Partner Violence

“…Frequently defined as behaviors that impose harm explicitly or implicitly in intimate partnerships, this multifaceted phenomenon is a pressing issue that can exert farreaching social implications (e.g., Breiding et al, 2005;Fletcher, 2010;Kyriakakis et al, 2012;Menjívar & Salcido, 2002). Despite the demand in mitigating the urgency, there is a dearth of empirical work that addresses the needs of immigrant women in mainstream America, thereby prolonging the adverse experience caused by partner aggression.…”

“…Intimate partner violence (IPV), which encompasses different forms of abuse, aggression, and intimidation, is a widespread phenomenon that takes place across all cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities (e.g., Ahmad, Rai, Petrovic, Erickson, & Stewart, 2013;Dutton & Goodman, 2005;Frias & Angel, 2005;Fuchsel, Murphy, & Dufresne, 2012;Gupta et al, 2010;Kim-Goh & Baello, 2008;Kyriakakis, Dawson, & Edmond, 2012). With respect to its implications, couple battery and discord have severe distal and proximal repercussions on individuals, families, and society (e.g., Breiding, Black, & Ryan, 2008;Coker et al, 2002;Fletcher, 2010;Menjívar & Salcido, 2002;Paat, 2011).…”