Formal help‐seeking in intimate partner violence among Spanish‐born and immigrant women in Spain: A focus group study

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem. In Spain, although the prevalence of IPV is greater in immigrant women than in Spanish‐born women, immigrant women seem to access services to a lesser extent. This study aimed to explore and compare perceptions of barriers to and strategies...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cuesta García, Andrea, Haro, Begoña, Fernández Lansac, Violeta, Crespo López, María
Format: article
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repository:Docta Complutense
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/107935
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/107935
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Facilities and services utilization
Focus groups
Help-seeking behavior
Immigrants
Intimate partner violence
Qualitative research
Violence against women
Psicología (Psicología)
Psicología aplicada
Psicología comunitaria
61 Psicología
6114 Psicología Social
6114.04 Psicología Comunitaria
Description
Summary:Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem. In Spain, although the prevalence of IPV is greater in immigrant women than in Spanish‐born women, immigrant women seem to access services to a lesser extent. This study aimed to explore and compare perceptions of barriers to and strategies for seeking formal help among Spanish‐born and immigrant women IPV survivors. A qualitative study was conducted based on three focus groups with women of Spanish (n = 9), Romanian (n = 4), and Latin American (n = 4) origin. The thematic analysis was supported by Atlas.ti. Three categories and 12 subcategories were identified: general characteristics of help‐seeking behavior (e.g., children as the main motivating factor), barriers (e.g., immigrant status, fear of the perpetra- tor), and strategies for accessing services (e.g., increasing education). Differences in help‐seeking behavior were found between groups. Relevant information for professionals to improve women's access to IPV support services is provided.