Socioecological determinants of community resource utilisation among low-income women in Mexico City who experienced male-to-female intimate partner violence

A Systematic Review of Barriers to Formal Supports for Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence in Spanish-Speaking Countries in Latin America

Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Latin America (LA)'s Spanish-speaking countries have demonstrated great need for formal services, including medical, legal, and mental health supports. However, women's rates of formal help-seeking for IPV in the Americas remain extremely low. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand barriers to women's help-seeking for IPV in LA's Spanish-speaking countries. Five electronic databases were searched with search terms in English and Spanish related to IPV, help-seeking, and barriers. Articles were included in the review if they were published in peer-reviewed journals; original empirical research; published in English or Spanish; and had participants who were women exposed to IPV or service providers who worked with IPV-exposed women; and were conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. 19 manuscripts were synthesized. Inductive thematic analysis of barriers to formal help-seeking for IPV identified in the articles resulted in five key themes: intrapersonal barriers, interpersonal barriers, organization-specific barriers, systemic barriers, and cultural barriers. Findings demonstrate the need to consider culture as a driving force in why women face extensive barriers to help-seeking across the social ecology. Suggestions for interventions at each level of the social ecology to better support women exposed to IPV in LA's Spanish-speaking countries are discussed.

Examining the Role of National Context: Do Country Conditions During Childhood Impact Perpetration of Dating Violence in Emerging Adulthood?

The link between individual experiences in early childhood or adolescence years and future dating violence (DV) perpetration has been well established and explored across various populations. However, little is known on a worldwide scale, about the association between national conditions during childhood, like overall well-being or status of women in that nation, and perpetration of DV in emerging adulthood. Applying life-course theory and a socioecological framework to data from the International Dating Violence Study and country index scores, this study examines whether the overall well-being of a country during childhood affects the perpetration of DV in emerging adulthood. We also examine if the national status of women during childhood moderates the association between overall well-being of a country during childhood and DV perpetration in emerging adulthood, all while controlling for the individual effects of gender, violence approval, criminal history, neglect history, and anger management. The study's sample size included 4,280 people from 19 countries. Men reported less likelihood of perpetrating DV compared to women. Cross national comparative analysis revealed a significant interaction effect between country well-being and women status on DV perpetration (β = 0.69, p < .05) at the national level. When women's status was low or moderate, the well-being status showed an inverse effect on the probability of DV perpetration, but this direction switched in the face of high women's status. Contrary to previous research, higher women status may contribute to increased intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Our findings underscore the existence of context-specific social conditions in relationship to IPV. Broad implications of the findings, potential explanations and directions for future research are discussed.

Gender Differences in Suicide and Homicide Rates in Mexico City during 2019

Suicides and homicides are public health problems around the world. The rates of suicide and homicide have increased in the past years. The objectives of this study are to estimate the rates of suicide and homicide in Mexico City, and to determine the rates of suicide and homicide by sex in the different municipalities of Mexico City during 2019. Data analyzed were obtained from files of governmental organizations in Mexico City. From the general victims-in-research-folders, we choose “victims of crime” or “loss of life by suicide” that happened in 2019. Sex and municipality of residence were obtained. The rate of suicide was of 5.65 cases per 100,000 habitants. Stratified by gender and by municipalities, the highest rates observed were 6.8 suicides per 100,000 males and 29.6 suicides per 100,000 females. The sex ratio was 4.2:1 (males: females). Regarding homicides, the rates were 16.68 homicides per 100,000 females and 67.41 homicides per 100,000 males. The Venustiano Carranza Municipality showed the highest homicide rate in men with 131.72 homicides per 100,000 males. The homicide sex ratio was 7.8:1. The findings of the present study highlight that death by suicide is more common in men with 7.8 more times than in women. The municipalities with higher deaths by suicide have lower rates of homicides and the municipalities with higher deaths by suicide showed lower rates of suicide in men.

Alcohol use, behavioral and mental health help-seeking, and treatment satisfaction among sexual minority women

BACKGROUND

Sexual minority women (SMW) report higher rates of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and adverse alcohol-related outcomes, including poor mental health, than heterosexual women. These disparities indicate a greater need for behavioral and mental health treatment for SMW. This study examined associations among alcohol outcomes, behavioral and mental health help-seeking, and treatment satisfaction among SMW by age, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and income.

METHODS

Participants included a community sample of 695 SMW (Mage  = 40.0, SD = 14.1; 74.1% lesbian, 25.9% bisexual; 37.6% White, 35.8% Black, 23.2% Latinx; 26.3% annual income $14,999 or less). We used bivariate analyses to characterize the sample's demographic characteristics and multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine associations among variables.

RESULTS

SMW subgroups based on age, race/ethnicity, and annual income differed in alcohol outcomes (i.e., HED, DSM-IV alcohol dependence, alcohol-related problem consequences, alcohol problem recognition, and motivation to reduce drinking); help-seeking; and treatment satisfaction. SMW who engaged in help-seeking for alcohol-related concerns were more likely than those who did not to meet criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 7.13; 95% CI = 2.77; 18.36), endorse alcohol-related problem consequences (aOR = 11.44; 95% CI = 3.88; 33.71), recognize problematic drinking (aOR = 14.56; 95% CI = 3.37; 62.97), and report motivation to reduce drinking (aOR = 5.26; 95% CI = 1.74; 15.88). SMW's alcohol outcomes did not differ based on their satisfaction with treatment or with providers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study's findings confirm SMW's elevated risk for HED and other alcohol-related outcomes and underscore the importance of identity-affirmative and accessible behavioral and mental health treatment for young, Black, and low-income SMW. Clinicians and intervention scientists should develop or enhance existing brief behavioral and mental health treatments for SMW engaging in HED who may not recognize that their drinking is problematic or who are not motivated to reduce drinking.