Developmental Trajectory And Impact On Hispanic Women

Domestic violence is an issue that has not been given much attention in the Hispanic culture as it is seen as a norm. Domestic violence is defined “as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner” (justice.gov). Hispanics are affected more than the non-Hispanic populations when it comes to the consequences domestic violence brings and also the constant occurrence of domestic violence in the Hispanic

Growing up, those two words have always left my stomach in knots and caused my eyebrows to come together in confusion. At the tender age of 8, family parties were meant to be fun and enjoyable, but whenever I heard an uncle or grandfather say those two words I was left in a state of discomfort without really knowing why.

According to data from the 2006 National Survey on the Dynamics of Household Relationships (Encuesta Nacional sobre la Dinámica de las Relaciones en los Hogares,ENDIREH), 10.72 % of Mexican women who are currently married, cohabiting, separated, or divorced have been subject- ed to sexual intimate partner violence (IPV), and 23.72 % have experienced physical violence at the hands of their cur- rent or previous partner….[However], women’s reactions and strategies for seeking help (or not) from public institutions and social networks have not received the same degree of attention” (Frías and Carolina Agoff, 2015).

Interestingly it has been discovered that studies involving both immigrants and non-immigrants have generally found that Latinas born in the United States were at greater risk. Within the American born group there was a 48.4% rate of victimization in their lifetimes while foreign born Latinas only 22.2% reported physical assault by an intimate partner (Hazen & Soriano, 2007). Studies have also found that there is an association between the age of Latina women and the risk for physical victimization (Kessler, Molnar, Feuer & Appelbaum, 2001; Lown, Vega, 2001; Smith, Thornton, DeVellis, Earp & Coker, 2002). In other studies it has been found that divorced or separated Latina women are more likely to report physical violence and sexual violence than married women are (Coker, Smith, McKeown & King, 2000; Smith, et.al., 2002).

Michelle Silva is a hardworking student who only strives for greatness. She’s an A student who pushes herself to be her best in and out of school. April 21, 2017, will forever go down as a day to remember. It's the day Michelle went to receive a prestigious award. A couple months ago she wrote an essay for the 100 Hispanic women scholarship and recently she found out she won it. All her hard work and efforts finally paid off. The joy she felt of knowing she was one of the four winners filled her heart with pride.

Illegal, Latina immigrant women experiencing domestic violence are highly unlikely to report this violence to law enforcement and are unable take legal action against their husbands. These women live in constant fear of being discovered and deported and consequently are unlikely to view law enforcement as a helpful resource. Immigrant women are more likely experience domestic violence due to a number of factors. Because of their illegal status, these women are more likely to live in poverty which, according to Bergen, means that they are more likely to experience male to female interpersonal violence (Bergen 2005). High in-home stress coupled with the constant fear of being discovered and deported also leads to a higher likelihood of violence (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin, 2011). Even if these women want to leave their home and take action against their husbands, most are economically dependent on their partners. While the United States has the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, which can aid illegal immigrants experiencing domestic violence in obtaining a visa, the fear of deportation keeps many women from seeking aid from social services and law enforcement. The lack of resources and fear ultimately allows domestic violence to perpetuate amidst an already vulnerable, invisible population.

The topic that will be analyzed in this literature review is relationship violence in Hispanics. Specifically, it will be physical and sexual abuse in intimate partners. It is mentioned that Hispanic women are less likely to report or use services available to anybody. The services that are available to them are healthcare and housing. As well as, therapy of any type. Also, Hispanic women are less likely to report abuse (Cho 2012). The reasons for not reporting abuse can vary depending on the legal status or living situation of the person being abused. Some of the reasons can be due to fear, cultural, and language barriers (Chiara, Cuevas, Zadnik 2015). Aside from not reporting abuse there are consequences that come from abuse. There are different effects that women go through depending on the severity of the situation or abuse.

Another group of vulnerable people subject to trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder related to immigration are women. There are many reasons as to why female immigrants from Latin America may develop post-traumatic stress disorder such as sexual abuse. An overwhelming 60% of Central American immigrant women experience sexual violence compared to 22.1% of non-hispanics in the United States. They face unique experiences compared to other Latinx groups, which is why the percentage of Central Americans who face sexual violence is so high. Central American women may experience sexual abuse before and during their migration through Mexico.

As discussed in this paper, these women do not realize they are being victimized by their partners because of cultural values and influences. Using the Social-ecological model, it allows us to understand how violence may be prevented and the potential risk and protective factors that a Latina/Hispanic women may have (Cummings et al., 2012). When facing intimate partner violence, survivors often resort to formal and informal support systems such as, police, counselors, immediate family, and friends (Postmus et al., 2014; Rizo & Macy, 2011). Yet, these people may cause barriers when Latina/Hispanic women are in search for guidance. Cultural ties, gender roles, and religion play a role in determining why a women did not report the violence she has experienced (Gonzalez-Guarda et al., 2013; Kyriakakis, 2014; Rizo & Macy,

The student documentary video regarding domestic violence and immigrant women highlighted a significant health and a human right problem all over the world. Violence is defined by the World Health Organization as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, male-development, or deprivation” (WHO 2002:4). According to John Hopkins School of Public Health, 1 in every 3 women worldwide has been beaten, raped or been the victim of physical abuse; between 10% and 50% of women have been physically assaulted by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Physical violence affects all of society, not just the recipients of the abuse or violence (Public Health 2008). The immigrant women in the video that were victimized by domestic violence had several similarities and few differences in my opinion.

The formative experiences that define a child's home life will have a lasting impact on the individual as he or she enters the later stages of childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The degree to which one's family life is loving, nurturing, supportive and attentive is a substantial determinant in emotional, social and intellectual development. Accordingly, a home which is abusive, violent, negative and neglectful is more than likely to have deleterious effects for the child both while and well after maintaining residence there. This turns us toward the focus of the present study, which is the impact levied by domestic violence on children.

“Domestic violence is a type of abuse by one or both partners in marriage, friends, family, dating or cohabitation” (Aziz & Mahmoud, 2010). There are many forms of abuse from verbal and emotional to physical that often escalates over time in intensity for the victim. Data from the criminal justice system, hospital patient medical records and mental health records, police reports, surveys and social services reports of thousands of women revealed that many are injured and killed as a result of violence from someone close to them. “The US Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines domestic violence as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender” (Robertson & Murachver, 2009). Researchers and the criminal justice system have not been able to agree on a clear definition to domestic violence which can range from physical injury, stalking, verbal abuse and humiliation, denial of shelter and access to money, and intimidation through aggressive behaviors. The definition of domestic violence may vary but the results from physical injury, mental and emotional trauma, and sometimes even death can last a life time.

Sullivan and Bybee (1999) stated that one way that the abuser can control the victim is through social isolation, cutting off any social ties to family and friends to prevent the person from turning to someone for help. Having such ties has been helpful in the past when victimized women have left their assailants with the help of friends and family members. Aside from social support, another important support is community resources to respond to domestic violence, which is very helpful to decrease risk of abuse by their perpetrators. One of the main reasons that abused women return to their abusive partners is that they are unemployed and have no way to financially support themselves. Other resources important in reducing the risk of domestic violence are: “medical attention, child care, affordable housing and safe housing, and help from social service agencies” (p. 44).

Domestic violence involves the systematic use of force, threats and intimidation by one partner upon another in order for the dominating partner to have control over the victim. In general, women who are abused physically are often isolated. Their partners tend to control their lives to a great extent as well as verbally degrade them. Even though the Latina women are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence because of their culture, it does not mean that this situation does not exist in other societies. Domestic violence happens in all races, religions and social statuses. It could appear in any family and in order to prevent it, everyone in the society must have knowledge of the problem, and

Domestic violence is also associated with other mental health problems such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Women who are abused suffer an increased risk of unplanned or early pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. As trauma victims, they are also at an increased risk of substance abuse. According to a U.S. study, women who experience intimate partner abuse are three times more likely to have gynecological problems than non-abused women. From Violence against Women: Effects on Reproductive Health, Outlook, vol. 20, no. 1 (September 2002). Other evaluations have shown that there are significant obstetric risk factors associated with domestic violence. Abused women are more likely to have a history of sexually transmitted disease infections, vaginal and cervical infections, kidney infections, and bleeding during pregnancy. These can also be all of which are risk factors for pregnant women. Abused women are more likely to delay prenatal care and are less likely to receive antenatal care.