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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2022
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Nancy n. Hauff
Abstract
Purpose and Background/Significance: In the U.S., 73%-98% of Arab-immigrant women have experienced severe physical and psychological abuse by their partner. Eight percent to twenty-four percent of Arab immigrant battered women used social and mental services such as counseling, support groups, shelters, and hotlines. Related research has found that social support, culture, and the current immigration climate have significant influence in the decision to help-seeking among immigrants. Limited research has explored women of Arab descent’s experience with help-seeking for intimate partner violence (IPV) from healthcare, social, and legal services. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the processes of help-seeking from informal and formal supports among women of Arab descent who have experienced IPV in the U.S. Method: This study used the constructivist grounded theory method; fourteen women participated in this study and were recruited from the Detroit metropolitan area. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and one-time individual interview using semi-structured interviews. An interview guide was developed based on the literature and modified following a pilot study. The data were analyzed using the constant comparative analysis following Charmaz (2006) stages. Results: This study included women of Arab descent ranged in age from 23 to 56 years, with a mean of 31 years. The average number of years of experiencing IPV was 4.6 years (SD =5.5), ranging from 1 to 23 years. All fourteen participants experienced physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. The participants reported that IPV began as emotional and verbal abuse and then gradually progressed to physical violence. Some participants experienced sexual abuse toward the end of the abusive relationship. Fear of retaliation, normalizing violence, maintaining family’s privacy and unity, protecting reputation, worry about the stigma around mental health services, lack knowledge of community resources, and language proficiency were identified as significant barriers that hinder Arab American women’s help-seeking. On the other hand, increasing severity of abuse, risking one’s safety, protecting parents and children’s well-being, and deteriorating psychological state encouraged women to seek help from several sources of help such as family members, law enforcement, and mental health services. Furthermore, this study found that informal help was the main source of support that women sought initially to stop the abuse. Family positive or negative reactions influence survivors’ decisions to involve further or not formal help along with cultural norms, health conditions, and safety. However, the lack of family support encouraged women to seek different sources of formal supports. These supportive and unsupportive responses of informal and formal supports influenced subsequent help-seeking in a positive and negative way. Conclusions: This study is the first of its kind that has explored women of Arab descent’s experiences of help-seeking from different sources of help. This study highlighted multilayered factors that impacted the decision of help-seeking including psychological, interpersonal, and sociocultural influences. The study showed that women experienced supportive responses that helped to survive their traumatic experience while others received hurtful responses from family members, law enforcement, and health care professionals. These hurtful and supportive responses influenced women to halt or seek further help. This study advanced our knowledge of this phenomenon and provide an in-depth understanding of help-seeking among this vulnerable population. The findings of the study contribute to increasing healthcare professionals’ knowledge about barriers and facilitators to accessing services for Arab women survivors of IPV. Therefore, future studies with a larger sample size are needed to provide a better understanding of this issue with a larger representation of Arab women in the U.S. More specifically, further research is needed on the development and effectiveness of programs that reduce vulnerability and improve help-seeking of IPV among this marginalized group.
Recommended Citation
Babegi, Ashjan, "Exploration Of Help-Seeking Among Women Of Arab Descent Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence" (2022). Wayne State University Dissertations. 3750.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/3750