We used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) model to understand access to and cultural appropriateness of domestic violence (DV) services in 8 ethnic minority communities and in the lesbian/bisexual/transgender community. This presentation will focus on the benefits and challenges of using PAR to conduct sensitive research in non-mainstream communities. Since an explicit goal of the research was to use the findings to ensure that DV programs in Seattle are culturally appropriate and accessible, a PAR approach involving service provider partners in all phases of the research was appropriate. From the researchers’ perspective the benefits of working closely with community partners and involving them throughout were considerable. Their participation helped to ensure safety for participants, cultural appropriateness, acceptability to the community, relevance to providers and investment in putting findings into action. Based on process evaluation findings, our partners also benefited. Some said they personally gained skills that will help them professionally, others learned more about the populations they serve and said the research changed their approach to working with victims of DV. Some of the challenges of our participatory approach included increased time to conduct the research and complex logistics. There were challenges for our community partners as well. For many, participating in the research was in addition to normal job duties, and many experienced difficulty and frustration with the recruitment process. This presentation will also address the process for disseminating results and engaging stakeholders in putting research findings into action among public sector systems, service providers and in communities.
Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to: 1. Describe challenges and facilitating factors that researchers may encounter in PAR projects. 2. Discuss strategies for engaging stakeholders in action based on research findings
Keywords: Partnerships, Domestic Violence
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.