National Latina Network

While the number of studies examining intimate partner violence (IPV) in Latin@ populations is growing, research on this issue continues to be limited in quality and breadth. We have compiled what we believe are the most current data on this topic and summarized it below.

Future steps

Future studies exploring IPV among Latin@ populations must address two general areas:

Methodology

• Future national studies need to include sufficiently large Latin@ samples that permit teasing apart the relevant differences and commonalities of Latin@ subgroups.
• Many of the scales and methods used currently may not be appropriate for capturing information that accurately reflects the experiences of Latin@ populations. The relevance and appropriateness of current measures and methods should be explored and new ones developed as needed.
• The direct voices of diverse Latin@ populations need to be incorporated into research to explore in greater depth the context in which violence occurs.

Resilience, Current Realities, & Prevention

• In order to recognize the resilience of Latin@s, studies of physical and mental health outcomes of Latin@s should also incorporate a focus on the strength and protective factors of this population.
• In the light of the current immigration enforcement policies that are impacting thousands of Latin@s across the United States, it is critical that future research continue to document the various unintended consequences of such policies on Latina survivors and their children.
• Routes for prevention identified by Latino community members and service providers include using a community approach, education around teen dating violence, prevention focused programming, and empowering vulnerable populations³⁸.
• Because IPV is a worldwide public health issue of epidemic proportions, prevention strategies that are developed within culturally specific and relevant frameworks will ultimately be required. This is particularly important in the case of Latin@ populations, given their increasing presence and prominence throughout the United States.

For all works cited and references, please visit the References page