Sloane Burke, PhD, CHES and Jody Oomen, PhD. Department of Health Studies, Texas Woman's University, P.O. Box 425499, Denton, TX 76204, 214-621-8171, sburke@komen.org

For some women, a dangerous or even deadly domestic environment is a reality. Approximately one third of all women will experience intimate partner abuse during adulthood, and every day, 11 women die as a result of domestic violence. Although Latinos are currently the second largest and fastest growing minority group in the country, little research has been conducted on intimate partner abuse against Latina women, and even fewer qualitative studies have been done. Some research, however, suggests that Latino men may exhibit higher rates of violent behavior toward their spouses than men in other racial/ethnic groups. For this study, 15 adult Latina women, who by self-report were survivors of intimate partner abuse, were recruited via flyers distributed at various locations such as shelters, community gatekeepers, churches, Latina nursing associations, a local Spanish newspaper, and universities in North Texas. In-depth, semi-structured one-on-one interviews with these participants were conducted. Using grounded theory method, themes emerged from constant comparative analysis of the interview transcripts. Based on these themes, a substantive theory of Latina intimate partner abuse was developed: Sobrevivientes: encontrar el valor de irse (Survivors: Finding the courage to leave). This theory includes five phases: the pursuit, the abuse begins, risk factors and cultural considerations, the cycle continues or escalates, and escape and a new life. From this study, the basic social psychological problem encountered was self-sacrifice. In this session, the interview process, analysis, findings, as well as implications and recommendations for addressing the issues discovered in this study, will be discussed.

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