Intimate partner violence against African American women: An examination of the socio-cultural context
Introduction
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious national problem associated with numerous deleterious consequences for families and society at large. Consequently, it is critical that we have a sound understanding of the nature and causes of IPV in order to inform prevention and intervention efforts. While there is a growing body of literature on diverse women's experiences, unfortunately, to date, conceptualizations of IPV and interventions for IPV are predominantly grounded in the experience and worldview of Caucasian women. This has resulted in the neglect of ethnic minority women, whose cultural context has largely been ignored (Bell and Mattis, 2000, Brice-Baker, 1994, Nash, 2005, Williams and Becker, 1994). There is concern that the one-size-fits-all approach to theory and intervention does not capture the unique experience of African Americans (Brice-Baker, 1994, Williams and Becker, 1994). The aim of this review is to summarize available literature focusing on IPV in the African American community with the hope that this information may ultimately inform theory and intervention development efforts.
Although there is a small but growing literature on IPV in African American gay and lesbian relationships and IPV perpetrated by women (Kanuha, 2005), only heterosexual, male-perpetrated IPV among African Americans within the United States will be covered in this review. Further, while African Americans are an extremely heterogeneous group, and differences exist as a function of region and between specific groups such as African Americans, Africans, and Caribbeans in the United States (Brice-Baker, 1994), the lack of work conducted on this diversity limits the current focus to those who have self-identified in research and clinical settings as African American or Black. The overwhelming majority of studies do not inquire further about ethnic identity.
In the following review, first, available prevalence rates and statistics regarding IPV within the African American community are provided. This is followed by a discussion of the most widely espoused theories for IPV with a particular emphasis on their applicability to African Americans, as well as other possible etiological contributors to IPV in the African American community. Next, risk factors for IPV victimization among African American women will be discussed, as well as the psychological sequelae of IPV in this population and coping strategies utilized by African American survivors. Finally, issues related to treatment of IPV for African Americans will be covered, and conclusions and recommendations will be provided.
Section snippets
Prevalence of IPV within the African American community
Several national survey studies have documented rates of IPV among African American couples. The National Family Violence Survey (NFVS; Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980), conducted in 1975, is one of the first representative studies reporting on the prevalence and incidence of IPV in the United States. The NFVS utilized the Violence subscale of the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS; Straus, 1979), including indices of “mild” and “severe” violence, to assess self- and partner-reported IPV among a
Feminist–political theory
Several competing theories explaining IPV have been proposed over the years. However, little consideration has been given to ethnic minorities in such theories (see Hampton, Oliver, & Magarian, 2003 for a review), and some question the applicability of these theories to African Americans in particular (Brice-Baker, 1994). To date, the most popular IPV theory is the feminist–political theory, which holds that the maintenance of patriarchy and male social dominance over women is the primary
Risk factors for victimization among African American women
A lack of resources within communities in which African Americans are over-represented presents a number of important barriers and difficulties for victims of IPV (Sullivan & Rumptz, 1994). In some African American communities, there is limited access to a variety of key resources, including but not limited to transportation, employment opportunities, affordable medical care, social and mental health services, homeless and domestic violence shelters, police protection, and legal services. Such
Psychological Sequelae of IPV among African American women
The negative impact of IPV on mental health has been well established (Campbell, 2002, Golding, 1999). Despite the burgeoning literature on IPV, there is a paucity of empirical research examining the negative mental health effects of IPV among African American women. This modest body of work has mostly focused on the mental health sequelae of low-income African American women, a population at risk for both IPV and mental health problems. As a result, there is a gap in our understanding of how
Coping strategies of African American IPV survivors
African American survivors of IPV, similar to survivors of other cultural backgrounds, utilize a number of coping strategies in an attempt to take care of themselves physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Reviere, Farber, and Twomey (2007) found that women who reported greater general coping, more efficacious behavioral strategies in response to IPV, more effective use of resources, greater use of social support, and less substance use were less likely to attempt suicide compared with
Interventions with African American IPV survivors
There is a need for interventions to address the multiple mental health effects of IPV within the cultural context of African American women's lives. While literature on IPV treatment for victims is minimal, and investigators generally have not reported effectiveness by race or ethnicity, there is evidence to support specific interventions such as cognitive–behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based treatment approaches, and community advocacy interventions (Kubany et al., 2004, LaTaillade et al.,
Interventions for perpetrators of IPV
The majority of intervention programs for IPV perpetrators ignores cultural differences and treat all clients with the same standardized group treatment approach (Buttell and Carney, 2006, Buttell and Pike, 2003, Gondolf, 1999, Gondolf, 2004). Additionally, treatment programs continue to face legislative pressures to institutionalize a “one size fits all” model, one which is grounded largely in theory and which may not have been thoroughly empirically tested (Geffner and Rosenbaum, 2002,
Conclusions and recommendations
IPV is a major public health issue, one which negatively impacts about one in five American women (Centers for Disease Control, 2006). African American families seem to be particularly vulnerable to family violence, (e.g., Cazenave and Straus, 1979, Hampton and Gelles, 1994, Kessler et al., 2001, Sorenson et al., 1996, Tjaden and Thoennes, 2000a, Tjaden and Thoennes, 2000b), and there is evidence that IPV has a number of deleterious effects on the mental and physical health of African American
References (91)
Health consequences of intimate partner violence
The Lancet
(2002)- et al.
Patterns and mental health predictors of domestic violence in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
(2001) - et al.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): A mindfulness-based treatment for intimate partner violence
Code of the street: Decency, violence and the moral life of the inner city
(1999)- et al.
Concurrent validity of a crime-related post-traumatic stress disorder scale for women within the Symptom Checklist-90-Revisited
Violence and Victims
(1991) African American women in violent relationships
- et al.
Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II
(1996) - et al.
Treatment of violent families
Journal of the National Medical Association
(1988) - et al.
The importance of cultural competence in ministering to African American victims of domestic violence
Violence Against Women
(2000) Strengthening domestic violence theories: Intersections of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender
Journal of Marital & Family Therapy
(1999)
Domestic violence in African-American and African-Caribbean families
Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless
The span of collective efficacy: Extending social disorganization theory to partner violence
Journal of Marriage and Family
African American women in search of scripts
A therapeutic approach to the treatment of racist-incident-based trauma
Journal of Emotional Abuse
Do batterer intervention programs serve African American and Caucasian batterers equally well? An investigation of a 26-week program
Research on Social Work Practice
A large sampled evaluation of a court-mandated batterer intervention program: Investigating differential program effect for African American and Caucasian men
Research on Social Work Practice
Investigating the differential effectiveness of a batterer treatment program on outcomes for African American and Caucasian batterers
Research on Social Work Practice
Gender as subculture: The first division of multicultural diversity
Race, class, network embeddedness, and family violence: A search for potent support systems
Comparative Family Studies
Costs of intimate partner violence against women in the United States
Black battered women: Practice issues
Social Casework
Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color
Substance abuse in African American women
Journal of Black Psychology
Trauma and addiction experiences of African American women
Western Journal of Nursing Research
Ethnic differences in battered women's formal help-seeking strategies: A focus on health, mental health, and spirituality
Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology
Racial identity, media use and the social construction of risk among African Americans
Journal of Black Studies
Domestic violence offenders: Treatment and intervention standards
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma
Linking drug-related activities with experiences of partner violence: A focus group study of women in methadone treatment
Violence and Victims
Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: A meta-analysis
Journal of Family Violence
Characteristics of court-mandated batterers in four cities: Diversity and dichotomies
Violence against Women
Regional and cultural utility of conventional batterer counseling
Violence against Women
Women's resources and use of strategies as risk and protective factors for reabuse over time
Violence Against Women
Violence toward Black women in a nationally representative sample of Black families
Journal of Comparative Family Studies
Domestic violence in the African American community: An analysis of social and structural factors
Violence Against Women
Culturally competent interventions for abused and suicidal African American women
Psychotherapy
Standards for batterer treatment programs: How can research inform our decisions?
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma
Depressive symptoms in women experiencing intimate partner violence
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Dangerous domains: Violence against women in Canada
Differential gender effects of exposure to rap music on African American adolescents' acceptance of teen dating violence
Sex Roles
Compounding the triple jeopardy: Battering in lesbian of color relationships
Ratings of family functioning of suicidal and nonsuicidal African American women
Journal of Family Psychology
Risk factors for suicide attempts among African American women
Depression and Anxiety
Yo' mama's dysfunktional: Fighting the culture wars in urban America
The National Women's Study PTSD Module
Unpublished instrument
Cited by (102)
Intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration as precursors to suicide
2022, SSM - Population HealthCitation Excerpt :Past research has consistently shown that racial/ethnic minority women are disproportionately affected by IPV (Cho, 2012), but there has been less examination of the prevalence of IPV among men. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, the estimated prevalence of IPV among men in the US was highest among Black non-Hispanic men (36.3%), but comparable for White non-Hispanic and Hispanic men (28.2% and 26.6% respectively, Black et al., 2011), although some of these differences may be driven by socio-economic factors (Taft, Bryant-Davis, Woodward, Tillman, & Torres, 2009). Still, racial disparities in IPV involvement are well-documented and may influence suicide outcomes.
Examining decision-making tools and child welfare involvement among Black families in Ontario, Canada
2021, Children and Youth Services ReviewCitation Excerpt :Canadian data suggests that in 2011, 80% of IPV victims were women (Sinha, 2013). Studies indicate that IPV is more common in the Black community than the White community because of institutional racism and discrimination, unemployment, underemployment, poverty, and cultural norms (Hampton et al., 2003; Taft et al., 2009). Children who are exposed to IPV are at increased risk of experiencing sleeping difficulties, eating problems, depression, anxiety, academic difficulty, excessive irritability, aggressive behaviour, and limited conflict/problem resolution skills (Carpenter & Stacks, 2009; Kimball, 2016; Selleck et al., 2018).
On the Overlap of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Intimate Partner Violence: An Exploratory Examination of Trauma-Related Shame
2024, Journal of Interpersonal ViolenceExploring the needs of girls of color in the juvenile legal system: A latent class analysis
2024, American Journal of Community Psychology