Social Support, Intimate Partner Psychological Abuse, and Mental Health Among Latina Women

Background and Purpose: Few studies have examined the adverse mental health consequences of intimate partner psychological abuse among women survivors. Yet, the existing data suggest that psychological abuse can be even more damaging than physical abuse. Emerging research has also identified social support as a protective factor against intimate partner violence and its negative mental health effects. Research pursuing this line of inquiry with women of Latino heritage (Latinas) is scarce. To address this gap, this study examined the relationships among social support, psychological partner violence, and mental health with a sample of Latinas. It was hypothesized that support from family members and friends would play a protective role against the presence of psychological partner violence and the ensuing stress, depression, and low-self-esteem among women survivors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 374 Latinas of various Latin American heritages. Their mean age was 39, 43.4% had not completed high school, and 66.6% had an annual household income below $24,999. Bilingual, bicultural researchers administered the survey in English (33.2%) and Spanish (66.8%) as part of a health study in community settings. Data on the variables of interest for this study were collected using the Scales of Perceived Social Supports (SPSS), the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (PMWI), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). For the primary analysis, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to explore the mediation model of intimate partner violence.

Results: The model fit of the measurement model with six latent variables was good (chi-squared=318.463, df=155, p<.001, RMSEA=.053, IFI=.973, TLI=.963, CFI=.973). The model fit of the baseline model was also good (chi-squared=327.373, df=156, p<.001, RMSEA=.054, IFI=.972, TLI=.962, CFI=.972). The alternative model was re-specified after excluding four insignificant paths from the baseline model. The final model did not significantly worsen the model fit (Δchi-square=4.46, Δdf=4, p>.05), and it also showed a good model fit (RMSEA=.054, IFI=.972, TLI=.963, CFI=.971). The results showed that social support from family members was negatively associated with psychological maltreatment (β=-.358; p<.001) and depression (β=-.150; p<.01). Social support from family was positively associated with self-esteem (β=244; p<.01). Social support from friends was only associated with self-esteem (β=.169; p<.05). Psychological maltreatment was directly associated with perceived stress ((β=.143; p<.05) and depression (β=.227; p<.001). Self-esteem was negatively associated with depression (β=-.487; p<.001). Perceived stress was positively associated with depression (β=.228; p<.001).

Conclusions and Implications: The results suggest that social support from family members may play a protective role in the presence of intimate partner psychological abuse and its adverse mental health consequences among Latinas. Practitioners working with Latinas could be instrumental in identifying intimate partner psychological abuse and devising culturally responsive strategies to help strengthen skills and resources that ensure family support. For recently arrived Latina immigrants, family support may not be as available or accessible. Interestingly, social support from friends may not play a protective role against intimate partner psychological abuse and depression. Future research could further examine this intriguing finding.