Study on Intimate Partner Violence: Culturally Competent Services for Latinos in New Jersey

1. Study on Intimate Partner Violence: Culturally Competent Services for Latinos in New Jersey Maria J. Zarza, Ph.D. Teresa Santana, M.A.

2. Background • IPV is a public health concern in the U.S. and worldwide (Bachman, 2000; World Health Organization, 2000) • Death of women last year in the U.S. (MFIPV Vs FMIPV) and NJ • Death of men last year in the U.S. (FMIPV Vs MFIPV) and NJ • Death of Latinos in last year in the U.S.A. • Annual cost of IPV estimated in $67 billion (Miller, Cohen & Wiersema, 1996) • Findings on prevalence of IPV in Latinos vs other groups is contradictory: Double in Latinos (Straus & Smith, 1990) vs similar prevalence (Kaufman Kanton, Jasisnki & Aldarondo, 1994) • Scientist seem to agree on the urgency and severity of the problem of IPV in the Latino community (Perilla, 1999; Amaro….

3. Background Identified risk factors in the literature • History of Violence in childhood (Schafer, Caetano, & Cunradi, 2004; Straus & Yodanis, 1996; Widom, 1989). • SES (poverty, unemployment, low education levels) • Socioeconomic and power imbalance between men and women • psychological factors (impulsivity, cognitions, attitudes, perception of retaliation capacity, mental health (pathological jealousy, stress, etc.) • Substance abuse: Alcohol (MFIPV) • Immigration: Acculturation process and stress incrementing IPV in Latino families

4. IPV Model for Latinos (Schafer, Caetano & Cunradi, 2004) M.alcohol M.chAB MFIPV M.impul F.chAB F.alcohol FMIPV F.impul

5. Services for Latinos in NJ (Mercer County) “There is serious lack of health and human services programs meeting the needs of Latinos in NJ”. IPV has been described as one of the five most severe problem in the community (Escobar-Haskins,2004). • Batterers Intervention Programs (Catholic Charities & El Centro de Recursos para Familias) • Compassion Workshop (Stosny, 1995): • Trauma healing and Anger Management • Victims Services (Womanspace, La Casa de Don Pedro, El Centro): • Intervention based on feminist theories that explain IPV as caused by the imbalance of power between male and female. • Model: Duluth Model of Power and Control: Empowering women • Cycle of Power and Control (Walker, 1979) based on White women.

6. Research questions Goal: Contribute to the service improvement for Latinos in New Jersey • What are the characteristics and needs of Latina immigrants victims of IPV in NJ? • What are the associated risk factors related to the occurrence of MFIPV in immigrant Latinas? • Test the model (Shafer, Caetano & Cunradi, 2004) to explain the variance of three dependant variables: Emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

7. Method • Subjects: 73 immigrant Latinas victims of MFIPV • Procedure: The Center for Hispanic Policy Research and Development (a Division of the Department of Community Affairs) facilitated contact with 30 community-based organizations in New Jersey at the service of Latinos and Victims of IPV. Around 10 of these organizations participated in the study. • Agencies: Camden, Trenton, Newark, Princeton, New Brunswick, Hightstown, Atlantic City. • Data collection: individually • Protection of Human Subjects: No victims in emergency situation, crisis shelter or living in temporal residential centers participated in the study. Confidential set of questionnaires were provided.

8. Variables and measurements • Demographics • SES • Alcohol and other drugs • Areas of conflict • Degree of MFIPV • History of Violence

9. Analysis The phase of analysis consists of: • 1) Descriptive and frequency analysis of demographic factors and other variables. • 2) Correlation analysis to identify related risk factors • 3) Multiple regression analysis to test the Schafer, Caetano & Cunradi (2004) model to explain the variance for the levels of MFIPV in a) emotional, b) physical and c) sexual abuse in the sample, and d) all three levels of abuse combined.

10. Instrument Variables 1) Demorgraphic Questionnaire: Closed ended qualitative questions (age, number of children, employment status, country of origin, residencey status in the United States, etc.) of the victims and their partners. In addition to the following variables were included: • Level of education, economic status (City of Trenton, 1998), Consumption of alcohol and other drugs. 2) Family Conflict evaluation Questionnnaire and the search for help on belhalf of the victim. • Area of conflict: money, household responsibilities, childrens education, sexual relations. • Level of emtional violence: consist of seven questions on conduct (e.g.: Indicate the number of times that your partner insulted you, humiliated you in public, etc.) where the participants select from the differet frequencies (never, 1 or 2 times, from 3 to 6 times, from 7 to 15 times, from 16 to 25 times and more than 25 times). The victim also had an option to describe other forms of emotional abuse as well as the frequency of the abuse that occured in their relationship. • Level of physical violence: consists of eleven conduct questions (e.g.: indicate the number of times that your partner hit you, kicked you,hit you with an object, etc.) where the participants select between different frequencies (never, 1 or 2 times, from 3 to 6 times, from 7 to 15 times, from 16 to 25 times and more than 25 times). In addition, the victim had the option of describing other acts of physical violence and the frequency of the violent acts that occurred in their relationship. • Level of sexual violence: consists of three conduct questions (e.g.: indicate the number of times that your partnerpressured you or has forced you to have sex against your will, conducted humiliating and/or painful sexual acts, etc.) where the participants select between different frequencies (never, 1 or 2 times, from 3 to 6 times, from 7 to 15 times, from 16 to 25 times and more than 25 times). In addition, the victim had the option of describing other acts of sexual violence and the frequency of the sexual violent acts that occurred in their relationship. 3) Evaluation questionnaire on the history of maltreatment in childhood • Level of violence that existed in the family of the male partner: the evaluation of the presence of: a) violence between the parents (emotional and physical) and b) parental violence towards the male partner (emotional and physical) when he was a child. There are a total of eight items with four grade levels (0 = never, 1 = sometimes, 2 = many times, 3 = very frequently). Finally, the points of everl level was analyzed to determine the level of total violence in childhood, violence between the parents and the child. • Level of instability in the families of the male partner: the evaluation of the abandonment of the male on behalf of the father or mother, martial infidality on behalf of the father or mother, etc. Was conducted. The participants answered whether the above had occurred (1) or not (0). The answers are analyzed in order to obtain the level of instability in the male partners family.

11. Undocumented 38% Low paid Jobs Poverty 50% a 75% Lack of transportation 40% at least Marginzalized Urban areas 95.9% Young women 36 Not fluent in English 56.9% Lack of Medical insurance 40% at least Isolated from family, culture, friends

12. Use of Services • 46.6% Never reported the abuse to the police. • 20.6% Never talked about the abuse with anyone (47.2% female friends, 35.6% sisters, 28.8% mother, 26.4% other relatives, 19.4% father, and 18.3% neighbors) • 44.6% rested in bed after a battering, however… • Only 29.2% use the emergency services of a hospital. • 12.3% were hospitalized after the battering at least once. • 47.9% Never talked about the abuse to a social worker, counselor, therapist, doctor or priest.

13. Bivariate Correlation Analysis * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level *** Correlation is significant at the 0.001 level

14. Multivariable Regression Analysis Dependent variable: Level of Abuse Dependent variable: Level of Emotional Abuse Dependent variable: Level of Physical Abuse Dependent variable: Level of Sexual Abuse

15. Conclusions and recommendations • Conclusions • Immigrant Latinas victims of MFIPV and their children are highly isolated and vulnerable for chronic abuse, poverty, mental and physical health problems, deportation, and other serious consequences of abuse and isolation. • There is a high demand of services designed specifically for Latinos (victims and perpetrators) in NJ • The risk factors for emotional, physical and sexual abuse can be different. • Alcohol use and impulsivity are important risk factors to explain MFIPV (emotional, physical and sexual abuse). • The male history of child abuse is also related significantly to emotional abuse, however is not as a strong predictor of MFIPV.

16. Recommendations for service improvement • Consideration of substance abuse and impulsivity in addition to the child abuse factor in the intervention. • Consideration of socio-demographic characteristics and barriers: language, cultural issues, immigration status, transportation, poverty, child-care, etc. in the program design and implementation (i.e. affidavit for victims in a deportation process). • Importance of strong outreach to recruit victims and families in struggle: community, church, women groups, providing activities other than IPV community education, etc. • “Colaboración en la comunidad”: Latino professionals, volunteers, giving a voice to survivors of violence, etc.