A 16-year examination of domestic violence among Asians and Asian Americans in the empirical knowledge base: a content analysis

A Scoping Review of 37 Years of Intimate Partner Violence Research in China

So far, no Chinese- or English-language journal investigations have been carried out on the entirety of research published on intimate partner violence (IPV) in China. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study was to analyze the contents of the totality of published IPV research articles indexed in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Specifically, the study aimed to investigate the input and output factors relating to published articles concerned with IPV, including their authors and contents. The CNKI was selected for investigation and analysis because it is the largest and most consulted academic online library in China. The analysis was conducted on 3,595 peer-reviewed journal articles on IPV over a 37-year period covering 1982-2018. The findings revealed that only 68 (1.89%) of the articles were empirically and quantitatively based. Findings among these 68 articles show that total contribution of IPV research has increased significantly over time in China, with increasing growth in the past two decades especially. Results also present summaries concerned with the reviewed studies' inputs (i.e., researchers' organizational affiliations, funding sources, and geographic settings), outputs (i.e., authors, journals, classifications, pages, topics, key words, definitions, theoretical approaches, samples, and methods), and outcomes (i.e., citations, downloads, prevalence rates, and correlates of violence). To sum, this is the first exploratory study of the unique and diverse body of IPV research in the Chinese-language and scientific literature. Overall, the study's results both help to inform future IPV research in China and foster and inform communications concerning IPV research globally.

Religion, Religious Heterogeneity, and Intimate Partner Violence Among Korean Immigrant Women

This study examined the role of religious affiliations and frequency of religious service attendance-such as church, Bible studies, and temples-as well as religious heterogeneity between couples on intimate partner violence (IPV) among Korean immigrant women in the United States. Through a case-control design, this study compared 64 Korean immigrant IPV victims with 63 Korean immigrant non-IPV victims. This study's findings reveal that for Korean immigrant women, a high frequency of religious service attendance was associated with higher IPV victimization, while their partners' high religious service attendance was associated with lower IPV victimization. When women's partners were religious compared with when they were not religious, they were less likely to perpetrate IPV even when the partners' alcohol consumption frequency increased. Also, when there was a gap between couples regarding frequency of religious attendance, IPV victimization increased. This discussion concludes by suggesting some policy implications based on these findings.

Understanding Intimate Partner Violence in the Asian Communities in America: A Systematic Review

The goal of this study is to provide a systematic review of empirically based journal articles published between 2006 and 2016 that address intimate partner violence (IPV) among Asian communities in the United States. We analyzed 57 peer-reviewed journal articles published in English. Most studies employed quantitative research designs that were cross-sectional in nature and focused on examining the statistical relationships between variables. Sociodemographic variables were the most frequently used variables to predict IPV, while health outcome variables were the most frequently used variables caused by IPV. Theoretical frameworks, methodology, and policy implications used in other studied were discussed in depth. Based on the findings of our study, we recommended future research avenues that can fill the gap in scholarly journal articles investigating the Asian communities.

Reflections on attitudes, experiences, and vulnerability of intimate partner violence among Southeast Asian college women living in United States

To provide culturally sensitive intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention programs for ethnic groups, a basic foundational understanding of Southeast Asian (SEA) women living in the United States is vital. The purpose of this study was to describe SEA college women's perceptions of IPV and how the women recognize their vulnerability to such violent situations. Qualitative methods using focus group discussions were employed to elicit participants' perceptions. Participants included 18 SEA college women, ages 18-34 (Mean=22; SD=7.22). Transcriptions were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Five themes emerged: recognition of IPV; perception of individual vulnerability to IPV; experience and responses to IPV; help seeking and support system; and strategies used for prevention of IPV. Findings yielded an understanding of intertwined issues of cultural norms associated with IPV, social and economic disparities, and challenges for IPV prevention in SEA communities. Culturally sensitive prevention programs will be more effective by reforming cultural values, while at the same time promoting non-violent relationships and increasing access to services.

Exploring the relationship between child physical abuse and adult dating violence using a causal inference approach in an emerging adult population in South Korea

Child maltreatment is one of the most commonly examined risk factors for violence in dating relationships. Often referred to as the intergenerational transmission of violence or cycle of violence, a fair amount of research suggests that experiencing abuse during childhood significantly increases the likelihood of involvement in violent relationships later, but these conclusions are primarily based on correlational research designs. Furthermore, the majority of research linking childhood maltreatment and dating violence has focused on samples of young people from the United States. Considering these limitations, the current study uses a rigorous, propensity score matching approach to estimate the causal effect of experiencing child physical abuse on adult dating violence among a large sample of South Korean emerging adults. Results indicate that the link between child physical abuse and adult dating violence is spurious rather than causal. Study limitations and implications are discussed.

Breaking Barriers

Many studies have attributed the disproportionately high rate of domestic violence in Asian communities to Asian patriarchal “cultural norms” and the psychological and behavioral traits that these norms produce in individuals. This article seeks to expand the scope of domestic violence analysis beyond these individual and cultural frameworks, arguing that Asian domestic violence is also a product of larger scale, social systems of inequality. By examining the funding criteria of the Family Violence Prevention Services Administration (FVPSA) and the Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) standard used by Robin Hood, my research shows how state and private organizations systematically devalue and underfund minority-targeted programs.

Scientometric analysis of research from a feminist perspective

In order to build a historical map of scientific production from a feminist perspective and to analyze the central themes that have been studied by the academics from this approach, a search was conducted using SCOPUS an international bibliometric database, for the period between 1960 and July 2013. The search strategy based on the use of four key words produced 54 articles, written by 86 specialists of 14 countries, among them USA, UK, Canada and Australia, 87% written in English and 4% in Spanish. Even though the feminist theoretical approach is interdisciplinary by definition, the main disciplines represented in the sample were social sciences and Psychology. 69% of the articles were written by a single author, and 78% of the authors were women. Citation varied between 137 and zero. The most cited studies were from Canada, USA and the UK. Articles covered a wide variety of themes emphasizing theoretical, methodological and empirical issues in different areas of knowledge. Additionally a very low presence of articles dealing with the impact of the feminist perspective in public policies was observed, as well as very few articles devoted to examine applications of the feminist theory on education. Conclusions highlight the challenge for Latin American feminist researchers to increase their presence in scientific journals with international distribution indexed in SCOPUS, and to increase the quality of specialized Hispanic journals, in order to favor scientific dissemination on the subject in Spanish.

Partner Abuse in Ethnic Minority and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations

This review seeks to synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding gender differences in rates of physical and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence among the four largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States, compares rates of physical and psychological IPV between sexual minorities and heterosexuals and among subgroups of sexual minorities (gay men, lesbians, bisexuals), and summarizes correlates and risk factors that are associated with rates of IPV in both ethnic and sexual minorities.

A systematic search of the published literature in the past 40 years using various search engines (e.g., PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) was conducted. The review identified 55 studies that met criteria. Few gender differences in rates of physical and psychological aggression were found among African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Native American men and women. Psychological aggression was most frequently reported. Bidirectional violence, which primarily took the form of minor aggression, was the most frequently reported form of physical violence. When unidirectional aggression was assessed, it was more likely to be female perpetrated, particularly among African Americans. These gender patterns were consistent across general population, student, and community studies. Respondents who reported a history of same-sex cohabitation and those who identified as sexual minorities reported higher rates of IPV than those who reported only a history of opposite-sex cohabitation and those who identified as heterosexual.

Regarding sexual minority subgroup differences, bisexuals appeared to be at a greater risk of IPV, and victimization among transgendered individuals has largely been neglected in the literature. Substance abuse and use, marginalized socioeconomic status in the form of family and neighborhood poverty, and exposure to violence during childhood as a witness or victim of violence in the family of origin were consistently linked to elevated rates of IPV. Associations also were found between level of acculturation and minority stress in the form of internalized homophobia and frequency of discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, the complex association among these variables was less clear across racial groups and sexual orientation. Research limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Risk factors for intimate partner violence initiation and persistence among high psychosocial risk Asian and Pacific Islander women in intact relationships

PURPOSE

The present study identifies risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) initiation and persistence over three years in a high psychosocial risk Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sample of women with children living in Hawaii.

METHODS

We included 378 women in a 3-year relationship with the same partner who reported IPV experiences at baseline and 3 years later. Baseline risk factors included characteristics of each woman, her partner, and their relationship. Bivariate and multivariate regression models were conducted to assess the influence of risk factors on the likelihood of experiencing IPV initiation and persistence.

FINDINGS

Of women who experienced no physical violence at baseline, 43% reported IPV initiation. Of women who did experience physical violence at baseline, 57% reported IPV persistence. Being unemployed and reporting poor mental health at baseline are important risk factors for experiencing IPV initiation. Reporting frequent physical violence at baseline increases the likelihood of experiencing IPV persistence. Asian women were significantly less likely to report IPV persistence than other groups of women.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicates that among a high psychosocial risk sample of AAPI women there are different risk factors for IPV initiation and persistence. Future prevention and screening efforts may need to focus on these risk factors.

Concurrent and long-term impact of intimate partner violence on employment stability

Previous research suggests that experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) may negatively affect employment outcomes. This study explores the relationship between IPV and employment stability both concurrently and longitudinally among a sample of 512 predominantly Asian American and Pacific Islander young women living in Hawaii. Women in this study were identified as being at risk of child maltreatment. About half of women indicated that their current relationship status was married or living together. More than two-thirds of women had graduated from high school and half had worked in the past year. The study explored the concurrent association of IPV and employment by assessing them simultaneously over a 12 month time period. The study examined the longitudinal impact of IPV by analyzing violence at two time points as predictors of unstable employment 6 to 8 years later. The study also explored the mediating effects of depression. Study results demonstrated both concurrent and longitudinal negative associations of IPV with employment stability. Women who experienced violence were more likely to be experiencing unstable employment concurrently. Women who experienced IPV at one point in time had lower levels of employment stability six years later. This decrease was partially mediated by experiencing depressive symptoms. Women who identified their primary ethnicity as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander were much more likely to experience unstable employment than Asian American women. More research is needed to explore the roles of mental health, race and ethnicity, and types of violence in the relationship between IPV and employment.

Migrants and emerging public health issues in a globalized world: threats, risks and challenges, an evidence-based framework

International population mobility is an underlying factor in the emergence of public health threats and risks that must be managed globally. These risks are often related, but not limited, to transmissible pathogens. Mobile populations can link zones of disease emergence to lowprevalence or nonendemic areas through rapid or high-volume international movements, or both. Against this background of human movement, other global processes such as economics, trade, transportation, environment and climate change, as well as civil security influence the health impacts of disease emergence. Concurrently, global information systems, together with regulatory frameworks for disease surveillance and reporting, affect organizational and public awareness of events of potential public health significance. International regulations directed at disease mitigation and control have not kept pace with the growing challenges associated with the volume, speed, diversity, and disparity of modern patterns of human movement. The thesis that human population mobility is itself a major determinant of global public health is supported in this article by review of the published literature from the perspective of determinants of health (such as genetics/biology, behavior, environment, and socioeconomics), population-based disease prevalence differences, existing national and international health policies and regulations, as well as inter-regional shifts in population demographics and health outcomes. This paper highlights some of the emerging threats and risks to public health, identifies gaps in existing frameworks to manage health issues associated with migration, and suggests changes in approach to population mobility, globalization, and public health. The proposed integrated approach includes a broad spectrum of stakeholders ranging from individual health-care providers to policy makers and international organizations that are primarily involved in global health management, or are influenced by global health events.