Culturally-specific intervention strategies for the prevention of intimate partner violence among Latinos in South Florida

Background: Although Latinos are disproportionately affected by the occurrence and consequences of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), culturally-specific and evidence-based intervention programs targeting this group is lacking. The Partnership for Domestic Violence Prevention (PDVP) is a one year community-based participatory research (CBPR) that aims to identify the needs and preferences for the prevention of IPV among Hispanics in Miami-Dade County. This partnership taps into the expertise of two interdisciplinary and community-oriented research centers at an academic institution and a leading domestic violence community agency. Methods: Six focus groups with community members (3 groups with women and 3 groups with men) will be conducted to identify perceptions regarding Latino sub-groups at greatest need for services and potential strategies that could be included in primary prevention programs targeting these groups. Focus groups will be transcribed, translated and analyzed used qualitative content analysis. Results will be presented to the community advisory board and at a community forum to confirm and clarify themes and strategies that emerge from the focus groups. Results & Conclusions: The results of this study identify high risk Latinos that could benefit from IPV prevention interventions and culturally-specific strategies that could be included in these interventions. This study lays the groundwork for the development of a culturally-tailored intervention specifically designed for a unique group of Latinos in the U.S. Strategies identified in this study could be adopted, adapted and evaluated by researchers, domestic violence advocates and public health professionals who work with similar groups of Latinos across the U.S.