Socio-Cultural Correlates of Mental Health Symptoms Among IPV Survivors

Background and Purpose: Although the negative impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on mental health is well documented, knowledge is limited on how socio-cultural factors may be related to survivors’ mental health. This dearth of research is alarming, given that the broader health literature suggests that cultural values may play an influential role in mental health, particularly among racially minoritized women. To address this gap, this study used a racially and ethnically diverse sample of women to answer the following research questions: (1) How are cultural beliefs, stigma-related attitudes about seeking services, IPV experiences, and length of services related to mental health symptoms among survivors? (2) Does survivors' ethnicity (Latina or non-Latina) and primary language (Spanish or English) moderate these relationships?

Methods: Data were collected cross-sectionally using structured interviews with English and Spanish-speaking IPV survivors from New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico. A total of 407 women were interviewed from 2018 to 2020. The sample included 63% Latinas, 21% Black/African Americans, 10% others, and 6% Whites. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test a path model that comprised the relationship between cultural values, attitudes about seeking help, length of services, IPV experiences, and mental health symptoms. The moderating effect of survivors' ethnicity and preferred language using multiple-group analysis procedures were examined. All models were tested using bootstrapping procedures.

Results: The final model was a good fit to the data. There was a significant positive association between fatalism and IPV (β = .39); IPV and anxiety (β = .15); and IPV and PTSD (β = .35). The indirect effects of fatalism on anxiety (b = .02, SE = .009, 95% CI = 0.008 – 0.044) and PTSD (b = .09, SE = .03, 95% CI = 0.04 – 0.14) were statistically significant. Endorsing fatalism (β = .39) and traditional gender roles (β = .34) were associated with higher negative attitudes about seeking formal help.

The multi-group analyses indicated that the path model applies equally across Latinas and non-Latinas, but it differed based on Spanish and English languages. Notably, the indirect effect of fatalism on anxiety symptoms was statistically significant only for English-speaking survivors. Fatalism continues to have an indirect effect on PTSD symptoms through IPV regardless of the preferred language.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings provide valuable information to consider and continue investigating socio-cultural factors in addressing both IPV and mental health symptoms among survivors. The differential effects of fatalism are intriguing and warrant further investigation. Although findings highlight that addressing fatalistic views will influence IPV exposure and survivors’ mental health, caution against efforts to eliminate fatalistic values is necessary. Instead, efforts should focus on understanding IPV survivors' meaning-making of fatalism and generate strength-based interventions focused on the positive aspects of this cultural belief. Future research should account for the complexity of belief systems by using more extensive multi-dimensional cultural scales to obtain a more in-depth and accurate understanding of these relationships. Including features of socio-cultural measures might elicit more nuanced information useful in developing IPV interventions focused on mental health.