This study examines linguistic markers (LM), observable features of language use, in two groups of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators: those identifying domestic incidents as their primary trauma (cohort A, n = 29) and those whose trauma stems from childhood or other adult experiences (cohort B, n = 28). We explore whether linguistic features differ between groups and correlate with PTSD and dissociation symptoms. Method: Using univariate and multivariate analyzes of structured interview data, we identified linguistic variations associated with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). Results: Narrative disorganization, speech disfluencies, present-tense usage, and sensory details differed significantly between cohorts (greater in cohort B) and correlated with clinical measures. Multivariate analysis showed moderate associations between linguistic features and symptoms (adj. R² = 0.25 for DES; adj. R² = 0.27 for PCL-5). Interaction analysis revealed predominantly consistent clinical relationships across cohorts, with only two cohort-specific interaction terms. Conclusions: These findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory. Preliminary evidence suggests linguistic markers may complement clinical assessment for trauma subtyping in IPV perpetrators, but validation in larger, independent samples is essential before clinical translation. Using univariate and multivariate analyzes of structured interview data, we identified linguistic variations associated with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). Narrative disorganization, speech disfluencies, present-tense usage, and sensory details differed significantly between cohorts (greater in cohort B) and correlated with clinical measures. Multivariate analysis showed moderate associations between linguistic features and symptoms (adj. R² = 0.25 for DES; adj. R² = 0.27 for PCL-5). Interaction analysis revealed predominantly consistent clinical relationships across cohorts, with only two cohort-specific interaction terms. These findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory. Preliminary evidence suggests linguistic markers may complement clinical assessment for trauma subtyping in IPV perpetrators, but validation in larger, independent samples is essential before clinical translation.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern that can impact women’s reproductive decisions, but how IPV timing and prenatal contraceptive counseling are associated with postpartum contraceptive use in Hispanic women is poorly understood. This study examines the association between IPV timing, prenatal contraceptive counseling, and postpartum contraceptive use among Hispanic women. Data were drawn from the 2019–2020 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and included 11,721 Hispanic women who had recently given birth. IPV was classified based on timing as none, preconception, prenatal, or both. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated with analyses moderated and stratified by receipt of prenatal contraceptive counseling, to assess associations between the timing of IPV and postpartum contraceptive use. IPV exposure was associated with a decrease in the likelihood of using postpartum contraception. Postpartum contraception use was lower among women who reported preconception IPV and among women who reported prenatal IPV compared to women reporting no IPV, and effect estimates were similar in magnitude between the two exposure windows. In moderated analyses, the negative relationship between IPV and postpartum contraceptive use remained among women who received prenatal contraceptive counseling. Hispanic women who experienced IPV before pregnancy or during pregnancy had lower odds of using contraception postpartum, and associations were not limited to exposure during one particular exposure window. Findings suggest that prenatal contraceptive counseling may not be sufficient alone to address reproductive health decision-making. Trauma-informed, and culturally responsive reproductive health services that screen for IPV and respond to safety and reproductive health decision-making concerns may better support postpartum contraceptive use among IPV survivors.
Children are deeply impacted by the loss of a parent to intimate partner homicide (IPH), but face difficulties accessing sensitive, comprehensive support in its aftermath. Yet, little is understood about the perspectives of professionals within the service system, and the challenges faced in providing this care. Nested within a broader study aiming to understand and improve the supports available for children who have lost a parent to IPH, we aimed to explore the views and experiences of professionals navigating the service system for these children. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 professionals who had supported children who have lost a parent to IPH, analyzing the data using a reflexive thematic analysis (reflexive TA) approach. Participants were based across the mental health, education, legal, and specialist child and family service sectors in Australia, and included frontline practitioners working directly with children as well as individuals involved in broader aspects of programming and policy related to their wellbeing. We generated two overarching themes: (a) structural shortcomings that hinder children’s access to consistent supports following the homicide, including poor cross-agency coordination and gaps in addressing the mid- and long-term impacts of trauma on children, and (b) the impact these challenges have on professionals, including feelings of anger and isolation, and their drive for change at the levels of service provision and policy. Professionals’ experiences navigating the fragmented service landscape for children who have lost a parent to IPH highlight the extent to which structural shortcomings hinder consistent access to trauma-informed care, as well as carry flow-on effects that impact the wellbeing of both children and the practitioners involved in their care. Planned reforms aimed at enhancing child-centered practice may be of benefit to center collaborative policymaking processes that consider service providers’ perspectives, and towards supporting the development of a service response for children bereaved by IPH that accounts for the on-ground realities of service provision.
Cognitive dysfunction often occurs as a result of acquired brain injury or psychological trauma from family violence. However, these less visible injuries are often overlooked by frontline professionals. Current screening tools for brain injury have been developed for the general population and do not align with best practice frameworks for identifying these issues in victim-survivors. This study aimed to use a modified Delphi approach to develop content for a brain injury and cognitive dysfunction screening tool for victim-survivors of family violence. A modified Delphi study was used to obtain consensus amongst experts on content for the screening tool over three iterative rounds. The expert panel consisted of participants from diverse backgrounds including neuropsychologists, social workers, medical professionals, family violence clinicians, Aboriginal peoples, and people with lived experience. Twenty-two participants responded over three discrete survey rounds (response rate: R1 n = 22, R2 n = 19, R3 n = 17). The expert panel endorsed 32 items relating to acquired brain injury, cognitive dysfunction, and psychological trauma for inclusion in the screening tool, and 16 of the 32 items were endorsed to comprise a short form of the screening tool. Six optional demographic items were also endorsed for inclusion in both forms of the screening tool. Using a modified Delphi method, this study developed initial content for the Brain Injury and Cognition – Family Violence (BIC-FV) screening tool. Future research will include pilot studies to investigate the psychometric properties of the BIC-FV screening tool.
Children residing in shelters after exposure to domestic violence have specific needs shaped by both past experiences and current circumstances. They often have limited access to structured leisure activities and health-promoting interventions. This study explored professionals’ experiences of the feasibility of a music group intervention that emphasizes emotions, participation, and relationships for children in shelters following exposure to domestic violence. Fourteen professionals were interviewed: four with music expertise (musicians, music therapists, producers) and 10 working in three different domestic violence shelters (leaders and staff). Data were collected thorough individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in four main themes: Not just any kids, which describes participants’ reflections on aspects specifically related to children’s experiences of exposure to violence and of living in a shelter; The context matters, highlighting contextual factors influencing the experiences of the intervention and shaping feasibility; A space to flourish, describing the setting as safe, permissive, and inclusive; and Commitment, joy, and pride, elucidating how the participants emphasized joy and having fun as essential. The music group intervention was perceived by professionals as feasible, meaningful, and aligned with the needs of children exposed to domestic violence. The implementation relied on professional commitment, interorganizational collaboration, and balancing structure with flexibility. By fostering safety, agency, and joy, the intervention created a space for children to engage, express themselves, and experience positive relations.
This study examines how cultural beliefs, stigma, intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization experiences, and service utilization relate to mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of survivors, with a focus on the experiences of Latinas. Using a cross-sectional design and data from 394 women recruited from domestic violence organizations across New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico, structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was applied to test a path model and examine the moderating effects of Latina ethnicity and primary language (Spanish or English). Findings indicated that fatalistic beliefs may be indirectly associated with anxiety and PTSD through psychological, physical, and sexual IPV. However, the indirect association of fatalism with anxiety was significant only among English-speaking survivors and with PTSD only among Spanish-speaking survivors. Economic abuse was associated with depressive symptoms across all groups except English speakers. Additionally, service utilization was associated with lower mental health symptoms for most participants, but not for Spanish-speaking survivors, suggesting systemic or structural barriers in service access or effectiveness. Findings underscore the importance of designing culturally and linguistically responsive mental health interventions for IPV survivors, particularly those who are Spanish-speaking. The study also demonstrates how cultural values and language may intersect to shape survivor trajectories, offering implications for culturally responsive and trauma-informed care.
Domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) has profound and enduring impacts on victim-survivors, communities and society. Therapeutic responses have often prioritized the reduction of clinical symptoms, treating these as proxies for recovery. However, the chronic, cumulative, escalating, and relational nature of DFSV requires multi-component, multilayered interventions that extend beyond symptom reduction to foster long-term recovery and healing. This systematic review examined the characteristics and impacts of multi-component interventions for victim-survivors of DFSV. A comprehensive search was conducted across seven databases. Eligible studies evaluated multi-component interventions addressing the mental health, growth- related and social needs of adult women who have histories of DFSV, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2024. Of 12,519 records screened, 158 underwent full-text review, and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Encompassing a total sample size of 861 victim-survivors, interventions commonly integrated counselling or psychotherapy with complementary approaches such as somatic practices, creative arts, nature-based activities, peer connection and practical supports. Reported impacts included reductions in mental health symptoms, enhanced social connection, empowerment, improved self-concept, and strengthened parenting capacities. Overall, integrative therapies combining counselling and body-oriented practices showed favorable outcomes. Group-based formats and peer connection also emerged as key components, although their effectiveness varied according to individual recovery stages and contexts. Future interventions should be designed holistically to address mental health, relational, and practical needs (e.g., legal, financial, housing support) while remaining equitable and intersectional in their implementation. Further rigorous trials across diverse cultural and geographic contexts are needed to strengthen the evidence base.
This brief report describes the cross-validation of an actuarial risk assessment instrument, the Intimate Partner Physical Injury-Risk Assessment Tool (IPPI-RAT). The IPPI-RAT was designed to be used by U.S. military Family Advocacy Program staff, as part of a safety assessment, to assess the likelihood that reported victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) will have a subsequent IPV incident resulting in physical injury. Following consent and administration of the IPPI-RAT, IPV victims were asked to call an Automated Telephonic Data Collection system to report subsequent IPV incidents. Calls were scheduled to occur weekly for the first month and monthly for the following five months. Among participants who called at least once (N = 1,098, M = 7.47 calls), who had contact with their offender, and who had a completed IPPI-RAT, 33 reported a physical injury whereas 43 did not. The IPPI-RAT cross-validation predictive validity Area Under the Curve (AUC) was .681 (d = 0.665), which compares to an AUC of .78 (d = 1.092) reported in the initial validation study. Although in the current study, compared to the initial validation study, the IPPI-RAT AUC was lower, the difference was not significant (p = .18). In the current study, as in the initial validation study, although the numbers of women offenders were very small (n = 6 and n = 22, respectively), no gender differences were observed in the IPPI-RAT AUCs. Collectively, the current study findings support the utility of the IPPI-RAT as a safety assessment tool for determining the risk of future physical injury. However, given that false negative classifications occurred, the IPPI-RAT should only be used as part of a comprehensive IPV safety assessment in reported IPV incidents in the U.S. military.
Bystander intervention in intimate partner violence (IPV) is gaining traction as a prevention initiative. While a developing body of evidence asks bystanders about their experiences intervening in IPV, a significant dearth of evidence draws on the voices of victims themselves. This study addresses this gap by asking: What do IPV victims want from bystanders? Prioritizing the subjective experiences of IPV victims, the study draws on qualitative interviews with 16 IPV victims in Australia to examine their experiences with and perspectives of bystander intervention. Ideal bystander interventions were premised not on bystanders taking the initiative to step in, but rather relied on the bystander creating a safe space and a trusting relationship with the victim. This enabled victims to overcome barriers to help seeking and feel confident reaching out to a trusted bystander when they were ready to receive help. We discuss how society may shift conceptualizations of bystander intervention in IPV away from notions of the active bystander stepping in to help, and towards an understanding of how bystanders can act to remove barriers to help seeking so that victims can maintain their agency and safely seek help from bystanders if and when they are ready.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is influenced by multi-level factors. This study tests whether municipal-level socioeconomic inequality – operationalized as concentrated disadvantage – predicts variation in police-reported IPV against adult women across Sweden. A cross-sectional analysis of all Swedish municipalities in 2021 was conducted. IPV was measured as assault against women by intimate partners per 100,000 residents. The key predictor was an additive disadvantage index with single-parent households, social assistance recipiency, low income, unemployment, and low education as indicators for socio-economic status (SES). Ordinary least squares models estimated bivariate and multivariable associations with demographic controls, and Moran’s I tested spatial autocorrelation. The disadvantage index was strongly and positively associated with IPV (bivariate B ≈ 27.0, p < .001; multivariable B ≈ 18.0, p < .001), accounting for roughly 26–36 percent of variance across municipalities. Controls – including population density, residential mobility, and the proportion of men – were not independently significant. Spatial diagnostics showed no significant residual clustering. Findings align with social disorganization and macro-level strain perspectives, indicating that concentrated socioeconomic disadvantage is an indicator of IPV at the municipal level. Prevention could pair poverty reduction, education, and employment initiatives with investments in informal social control and community cohesion. Cross-sectional design and reliance on police reports warrant caution; future work should examine mediating mechanisms and longitudinal change.
This study examines how teenagers’ participation is reflected and enacted within social services’ risk management of honor-based abuse (HBA) cases in Sweden. A retrospective qualitative document analysis was conducted on 29 child welfare case files concerning teenagers aged 12–19 with indications of HBA. Data were analyzed using latent qualitative content analysis, guided by Shier’s Pathway to Participation framework, to identify patterns and levels of participation within risk management practices. Findings reveal a continuum of participation ranging from passive involvement to active engagement. Most cases represented lower levels, where teenagers were listened to or supported in expressing views, but rarely influenced decisions. Opportunities for having a voice were often contingent on disclosure and appeared fragmentary rather than continuous. Active participation was most evident in cases involving out-of-home care, where teenagers’ preferences shaped aspects of intervention planning. Structural barriers, such as relocation abroad, eliminated opportunities for engagement entirely. Furthermore, teenagers’ participation functioned as a prerequisite for agency rather than a structurally embedded practice. Teenagers’ participation in HBA-related risk management remains limited and conditional. Strengthening participatory practices requires enabling participation early, maintaining engagement throughout interventions, and balancing agency with protection. Embedding participation as a substantive right rather than a procedural formality is essential for ensuring that all voices are heard.
Queer narratives of intimate partner, family and sexual violence often remain siloed within queer communities rather than reaching mainstream discourse. Existing heteronormative research methods have failed to capture the nuance of queer experiences of such violence and the result is an absence of public and institutional understandings. We suggest an alternative, strengths-based and queer-led narrative method of developing a composite character to show the complexity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Sistergirl, Brotherboy (LGBTQIASB +) lived experiences of violence whilst protecting individuals’ identities. The story of our composite character Bec is told through a series of short vignettes, drawn from the lived experience of two of the authors. This method is informed by embodied feminist theory, queer oral history, and feminist storytelling. The step-by-step process we used to facilitate this method included partnering with a queer ally and advocate, providing authors a safe and trusting space for writing the composite character, and then ground-truthing it with close queer peers. The composite character approach combines real experiences into fictional characters to safely share stories of violence without risking participants’ mental health or causing re-traumatization. The deeper insight into queer lived experiences of violence afforded by this method creates rich and nuanced understandings with potential to inform research and practice. Moreover, this method has potential cathartic capacity for a survivor of violence to process the violence at a distance and to better view their journey of recovery. National family violence policy and prevention frameworks have consistently ignored, glossed over, or subsumed queer stories within heteronormative lived experience accounts. The composite method contributes an ethical framework with potential to inform policy development, raise community awareness about LGBTQIASB + experiences of intimate partner and family violence, and strengthen queer-appropriate support services.
The 2021 expansion of the U.S. Child Tax Credit (CTC) under the American Rescue Plan introduced monthly advance payments to eligible families, offering a novel and regular source of financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research links economic hardship with increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), and income support policies have shown mixed effects on IPV. However, no studies to date have examined the association between the advance CTC payments and IPV trends in the U.S. Using data from the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline (the “Hotline”), an interrupted time series (ITS) design was employed to evaluate the association between advance CTC payments and daily contacts to the Hotline by adult survivors of IPV between January 1, 2018–December 31, 2022. The start of the advance CTC payments was associated with an immediate 18
Although bidirectional violence (BV) has been identified as the most prevalent pattern of violence in intimate relationships, it remains under-researched, especially regarding its individual predictors. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the prevalence of BV, examine potential gender and sexual orientation differences in the types of violence suffered and perpetrated, and identify key individual predictors of BV. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with a sample of 754 participants (M = 28.69; SD = 10.40), who completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to analyze prevalence rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and identify significant predictors of BV. BV was the most prevalent pattern of violence. Psychological aggression was the most prevalent type of violence suffered and perpetrated, both in the past year and lifetime. No gender or sexual orientation differences were found regarding the types of violence suffered or perpetrated in the past year and across participants’ lifetime. Being in an intimate relationship and identifying as LGBTQ+ were predictors of BV. The study’s findings allow for a greater understanding of the individual predictors of BV. Increasing awareness through various strategies (e.g., lectures, campaigns, community-based activities) may help foster a more nuanced public understanding of the phenomenon. In parallel, expanding access to couples’ therapy and investing in professionals’ training are essential for developing more personalized and effective responses to IPV in Portugal.
This paper examines how practitioners in perpetrator intervention programs in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay conceptualize intimate partner violence (IPV) across sexual orientations, and how their narratives reveal enduring traces—or palimpsests—of earlier theoretical and institutional frameworks. Despite decades of research, IPV knowledge and practice remain overwhelmingly anchored in heterosexual relationships, framing men as perpetrators and women as victims. Considering that semantic distinctions in practitioners’ talk may signal deeper divides, we examine how these distinctions reflect divergent assumptions about gender, power, and relationality. Drawing on five years of qualitative fieldwork in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, we employed narrative interviews (n = 32) and program observations, analyzed using a modified Structural Narrative Analysis to identify patterned assumptions and discursive strategies in practitioners’ accounts. We identify core divergences in how practitioners implicitly define IPV: as a primarily heterosexual phenomenon; as less constrained by patriarchy in LGBTQI+ relationships; as socioeconomically conditioned only in heterosexual contexts; as universally explainable through psychological traits; and as amenable to a single, “one-size-fits-all” intervention model. Framed through the metaphor “tomato, tomatoh?“, we argue that these seemingly minor semantic distinctions in practitioners’ talk in fact signal deeper epistemological divides—different assumptions about gender, power, and relationality that fundamentally shape intervention practices—and carry significant practical consequences for how interventions are delivered, whose experiences are legitimized, and which cases receive institutional attention. The analysis highlights the material effects of professional discourse, showing how heteronormative frameworks persist even in “progressive” programs, reinforcing the invisibility of LGBTQI+ victim-survivors and perpetrators. The paper argues for more inclusive and contextually sensitive frameworks that recognize the relational, structural, and identity-specific dynamics of IPV across diverse intimate relationships.
Children’s voices about their experiences of domestic violence are underreported in the scholarship and in service reforms. This article presents gatekeepers’ views on the obstacles and enablers for children’s participation in domestic violence research and based on research findings outlines a model for enabling children’s participation in domestic violence research. Qualitative exploratory research conducted in Australia on the obstacles and enablers to conducting domestic violence research with children led to the development of STARR (SAFE, Trauma-Safe, Activity-based, Relational and Rights-based), an enabling model of trauma-safe participation. The theoretical underpinnings included constructivist grounded theory, childhood studies, child rights and a trauma-informed approach. Forty-nine participants from five cohorts participated in semi-structured interviews: mothers with experiences of domestic violence, domestic violence service providers, child clinicians, Human Research Ethics Committee members and domestic violence researchers. Participants’ concerns about conducting domestic violence research with children included physical, emotional, psychological and cultural safety issues, and the potential for retraumatization. Equally, participants had many ideas on enabling children’s inclusion. To enable children’s participation, research participants recommended that engagement must ensure the highest level of safeguarding, be attuned, trauma-safe, child-friendly and rights-based. This paper presents research on the obstacles and enablers to children’s participation in domestic violence research and the STARR model, informed by the participants’ views about the enablers to children’s participation.
This article examines how heterosexuality has been rendered invisible in family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) research, policy, and advocacy. At the same time, heteronormativity—the structural system that privileges heterosexuality as the norm and reinforces social hierarchies of citizenship and belonging—is framed as impacting only LGBTQ+ people. However, we argue that while heterosexual people are deeply shaped by heteronormativity, this has failed to be considered in FDSV policy. We trace the feminist critique of heterosexuality and its consequences for heterosexual women, before turning to queer theory’s conceptualization of heteronormativity as a system that governs both LGBTQ + and heterosexual lives. Despite these critical insights, FDSV policy has largely failed to engage with the structural implications of heteronormativity. To demonstrate this gap, we conduct a close analysis of two key Australian policy frameworks: Change the Story (Our Watch) and the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children (Federal Government). We find that both policies neglect the role of heteronormativity in producing and sustaining gendered violence, ultimately erasing heterosexuality as a site of analysis and intervention. We call for FDSV research, policy and advocacy to meaningfully engage with heteronormativity—not only as an LGBTQ+ issue, but as a system that also constrains and harms heterosexual people. We argue that both queer and heterosexual scholars and practitioners should incorporate structural analyses of sexuality in future FDSV work.
The I3 meta-theory describes how risk and protective factors work together to influence intimate partner violence (IPV) use (i.e., perpetration). This brief report investigates the influence of chronic pain (presence, severity, and interference) on Veterans’ use of IPV, with IPV experience and social support for pain as potential moderators. Post-9/11 Veterans (N = 823) completed self-report assessments at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Subsample analyses included those who reported chronic pain at baseline and follow-up compared to those with no chronic pain at either timepoint (n = 651) and those with chronic pain at both timepoints who reported IPV use (n = 251). In the full sample, Veterans’ past-year IPV use was associated with their past-year IPV experience, PTSD symptoms, and chronic pain. Chronic pain had a bivariate association with IPV use that was eliminated after accounting for PTSD symptoms and IPV experience. In patients with chronic pain who used IPV, pain severity was related to greater frequency of using IPV, but not after controlling PTSD symptoms. Higher pain interference remained significantly associated with greater frequency of IPV use after controlling for other variables. Neither social support for pain nor IPV experience moderated these relationships. PTSD symptoms appear to be an important explanatory factor in the relationship between chronic pain and IPV use among military Veterans, as well as between pain severity and the frequency of IPV use. Having pain that more extensively interferes with daily life may increase the likelihood of engaging in IPV.
Despite extensive research documenting the harmful and ineffective nature of corporal punishment (CP), it remains a common and socially accepted method of child discipline in the United States. Parents are more likely to use CP when experiencing stress or lacking social support. Parents experiencing homelessness often face both conditions. This study explored the attitudes and beliefs of unhoused parents regarding the use of CP, their views about a shelter’s No-Hit policy, and their perspectives on parenting support that shelters could provide. Qualitative content analysis was used to examine parents’ lived experiences and beliefs. Eighteen unhoused parents (n = 14 mothers; n = 4 fathers), aged 20–57 years, residing in a shelter in a large Midwestern urban area participated in in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using content analysis to identify recurring concepts and patterns in participants’ narratives. Five themes emerged: (1) participants articulated clear definitions of and reasons for hitting children; (2) many described substantial experiences of childhood physical and emotional trauma; (3) a prevailing belief that “children belong to their parents” shaped views on discipline; (4) strong family, community, religious, and cultural influences reinforced beliefs about corporal punishment; and (5) participants identified financial and housing assistance as their primary needs, over parenting support. Findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive and trauma-informed parenting education and policy within homeless shelters. Addressing the intersection of poverty, trauma, and parenting stress is essential to promoting nonviolent discipline and supporting family well-being.
Few studies have examined women’s experiences of family violence during COVID-19, and even fewer studies have considered South Asian immigrant women’s experiences. South Asian immigrant women face unique injustices caused by structural oppression, namely, gendered structural racism and inequality, reinforced through interactions with individuals, communities, organizations, and sociopolitical structures and systems. Structural oppression creates barriers that impact survivors’ ability to receive support and justice. Centering the voices of an understudied and racialized group, this study explores South Asian immigrant women’s experiences pursuing justice after violence. This analysis involved two sub-samples (South Asian immigrant women (N = 12) and direct service providers (N = 8) taken from a broader qualitative study where New York City-based immigrant women and personnel from community-based organizations were interviewed about structural oppression and immigrant women’s health and wellbeing during COVID-19. Five key themes emerged highlighting how survivors of violence discussed pathways to justice: (1) self-empowerment, (2) social support, (3) community-based support, (4) carceral interventions, and (5) silence and the decision not to pursue justice. The results show a preference for social and community-based support initiatives for emotional support, material resources, advocacy, and capacity building over carceral solutions. The experiences of the South Asian immigrant women in our study illuminate the insufficiency of current pathways for justice available for survivors. We propose a multi-level shift towards community-led transformative justice. This research contributes to the literature informing evidence- and experience-based policy and practice to facilitate justice for South Asian immigrant survivors.
