NCJ Number
200859
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2003 Pages: 171-180
Date Published
June 2003
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article profiles the occurrence of domestic violence within South Asian, African-American, and Hispanic ethnic minorities.
Abstract
There is a substantial lack of research detailing domestic violence within various ethnic minority communities. Despite cultural differences among South Asian, African-American, and Hispanic ethnic minority groups, these communities share a sense of familism and collectivism. The data analyzed in this article came from 62 women: 20 African-Americans, 22 Hispanics, and 20 South Asians, who were recruited from 2 domestic violence programs located in a city in the northeastern United States. Addressing the ways in which the abused women disclosed abuse by their partners, the authors collected responses concerning how these women were supported and were not supported by both kin and non-kin network members. Research findings indicate that older women and those who had resided within the United States for longer periods of time felt more willing to make disclosures of abuse to non-kin members than did younger women and those who were new to the United States. Furthermore, older women with higher degrees of social support and women who reported lower frequencies of physical violence were more likely to disclose physical abuse to non-kin members. Findings indicate that the women experiencing the most severe abuse may be the least likely to disclose their abuse to others. The authors suggest that culturally appropriate outreach programs are needed in order to combat the specific types of abuse found within each of these different ethnic communities. Tables, references