Likelihood of Latino Women To Seek Help in Response to Interpersonal Victimization: An Examination of Individual, Interpersonal and Sociocultural Influences

• NCJ Number: 248786
• Author(s): Chiara Sabinaa, Carlos A. Cuevasb, Erin Lannenc
• Date Published: August 2014
• Length: 9 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Sexual Assasult Among Latinas (SALAS) Project

Annotation

For a U.S. national sample of 2,000 Latino women , this study examined the influences of individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors on the likelihood of their seeking help from police, medical services, or social services after experiencing interpersonal violence.

Abstract

The women were living in high-density Latino neighborhoods in the United States. They were interviewed by phone in their preferred language. On average, the women reported being between “somewhat likely” and “very likely” to seek help should they experience violent victimization. Overall, the sample of Latino women apparently responded to their violent victimization in ways that reflected their ecological context. Sequential linear regression results indicated that individual factors (age, depression); interpersonal factors (having children and past victimization); and sociocultural factors (immigrant status, acculturation) were associated with the self-reported likelihood of seeking help for interpersonal violence. Having children was consistently related to a greater likelihood of seeking help. The study concludes that help-seeking for this sample is best understood within a multi-layered and dynamic context. (Publisher abstract modified)