Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an issue that impacts 1 in 4 women nationally. Women who have experienced IPV suffer lifelong consequences of physical injuries, trauma, economic deficits, and social/societal changes. Immigrant women are uniquely situated to be the perfect victims of intimate partner violence, as their legal status or lack thereof, is often utilized as a mechanism of abuse in instances of IPV. Immigrant survivors of IPV face innumerable barriers to help seeking: systemic, cultural, financial, etc. The aim of this study is to explore immigration status as a unique mechanism of abuse, and the conjunctive barriers influencing these women’s help seeking behaviors.
For this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in the area of immigration law and advocacy. All interviews were transcribed. An inductive approach to thematic analysis was utilized to formulate themes and sub-themes.
The following themes and sub themes emerged: Available Services; Legal Services, Culturally Specific Services, Access to Services; Costs of Services, Translation Services, Location Dependency, Attitudes/Cultural Attitudes Toward Help Seeking, Help Seeking Behaviors; Help Seeking Due to Intensity of Abuse, Help Seeking Due to Impact on Daily Life, Help Seeking Due to Service Provider’s Referrals, Familial and Community Influence on Help Seeking, Systemic Barriers to Help Seeking; Lack of English Proficiency, Lack of Knowledge of Services, Financial and Housing Insecurity, Barriers Specific to Immigration Processes; Costs of Immigration Services and Applications, Immigration Status as a Mechanism of Emotional Abuse; In Relation to English Proficiency, Isolation, Direct Interference with Immigration Processes, Need for Societal Attitude Shifts, Improved Access to Basic Needs; Housing Needs, Need for Trauma and Culturally Informed Practices; Mental Health Resources, Necessary Federal Changes to Immigration Processes.
It was found that many women initiate help seeking behaviors due to the impact on daily life which indicates the need for policy implications to reflect culturally competent ideals. The importance of culturally specific services, and culturally informed attorneys, advocates, etc. is paramount, while operating under a trauma informed paradigm. The entirety of immigration processing should be operating on a much faster turnaround time, in order to ensure the wellbeing and basic needs of these women are met. All participants indicated the lack of knowledge of these services, and therefore the immense need for more of a widespread distribution of information surrounding available services. Future research should be dedicated to the identification of the best practices of information distribution, to ensure that all women have access if necessary, as well as an expansion of literature devoted to the examination of cultural implications of abuse and help seeking practices of immigrant survivors.