(WITHDRAWN) Intimate Partner Violence Among Vulnerable Korean Immigrant Women: Intersection of Immigration and Gender Norms

Background: Although national surveys reported Asian immigrant women experienced the lowest rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to other racial/ethnic groups (Smith et el., 2018), individual studies reported, due to patriarchal gender norms and language barriers, Asian immigrant IPV victims were less likely to report their victimization (Lopez et al., 2017). Thus, little is known about the extent, context, and nature of IPV among Asian immigrant women, especially Koreans. The purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) to identify incidence rates of IPV among vulnerable immigrant Korean women; and 2) to examine the intersectional effects of socioeconomic status, immigration, and gender norms on IPV among vulnerable immigrant Korean women.

Method: This study utilized convenience and purposive sampling methods to recruit vulnerable immigrant Korean women who received or were currently receiving government aids or social services, due to financial difficulties and/or mental health issues, from non-profit organizations serving Korean immigrants living in ethnically diverse urban areas. A total of 83 immigrant Korean women were recruited in 2017. IPV victimization (22-items of World Health Organization scale, α = 0.90) was examined by education, income, length of residence in the US, English proficiency, life stressors, and gender norms (3-items, α = 0.68) with a hierarchical multiple regression.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 45.3 years old (sd = 8.8) with an average of 15.7 years living in the US (sd = 9.8). About 70% attained some college or above level of education before coming to the US, and 65% reported receiving a government assistance. Up to 56.6% reported experiencing at least one of 22 IPV indicators. The most common type of IPV was psychological violence (39.5%), followed by physical (28.9%) and sexual violence (19.7%). Results showed immigration and gender norms significantly increased R² change (R² change = 0.26, p < 0.001, Adjusted R² = 0.32; & R² change = 0.08, p < 0.01, Adjusted R² = 0.39, respectively). Having a college degree, more life stressors, more years of residence in the US, and more egalitarian gender norms were found to be risk factors of IPV while having a higher income and higher levels of English proficiency were found to be protective factors against IPV.

Conclusion: Findings suggest vulnerable immigrant Korean women experience similar rates of IPV with those reported in other ethnic groups. Findings also revealed significant intersectional effects of SES, immigration, and gender norms on IPV among vulnerable immigrant Korean women. Although many Koreans came to the US with relatively high levels of education, they tend to adhere to traditional Korean culture. Traditional Korean cultural norms emphasize a hierarchical relationship that demands a wife’s conformity to husband for familial harmony. This becomes a risk factor for increased vulnerability among immigrant Korean women, when their egalitarian values clash with their partners’ patriarchal gender norms. As such, findings suggest the importance of proactively reaching out to the vulnerable immigrant Korean families and providing first-hand information and training on IPV and more egalitarian gender norms in partnership with community-based IPV organizations.