Community Resource Needs for Latina Immigrant Survivors

Background and Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive, cross-cultural, public health issue. Although IPV is prevalent among all ethnic groups, Latina immigrant women are at high risk for violence. The purpose of this study is to examine service needs among Latina immigrant survivors of IPV. This research examines service utilization among Latina immigrant survivors and the helpfulness and cultural appropriateness of those services.

Methods: Data were collected from in-depth interviews with Latina immigrant survivors and focus groups with practitioners. We interviewed immigrant survivors from Mexico (n=10), the Caribbean (n=10), and Central America (n=10) and conducted 3 focus groups with practitioners from each region. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis.                                            

Results: Latina immigrant survivors in this study most often reported that mental health services would be helpful for women experiencing IPV in their communities. Women discussed these services (i.e. counseling, therapy, psychiatry, psychology) not only as beneficial for the survivor but for the children and the marriage as well. This finding was especially prevalent among the Central American survivors as six survivors and the practitioners in the focus group identified mental health services as the most important need to address IPV. Some Mexican survivors reported that they had used counseling as a way to keep themselves safe. The majority of Caribbean and Mexican survivors identified mental health as a necessary resource but they also saw healthcare as an important service. Each group specifically mentioned the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare that can be accessed regardless of immigration status. One Central American and one Mexican survivor stated that the emergency room/hospital was a strategy they had used in their relationship to keep themselves safe. Finally, survivors and practitioners discussed food and nutrition as a need for survivors in their communities. This need was discussed in terms of access to food and food stamps. Only one Mexican survivor mentioned food stamps as a safety strategy she had utilized. 

Conclusions and Implications: Findings indicate that Latina immigrant survivors prioritize mental health, physical health, and nutrition as necessary resources to safety. When asked about the strategies survivors had previously used to keep safe, mental health is most common. This finding could be due to the lack of affordable and accessible healthcare resources in the community for Latina immigrant women. Additionally, women could be reluctant to seek services such as healthcare or government assistance, such as food stamps, if they are undocumented. Social workers must understand how to safety connect survivors of IPV with culturally appropriate resources, such as healthcare and food assistance, that do not require survivors to be documented.