141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

284039
Using case studies to evaluate IPV prevention in immigrant and refugee communities

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Alberto Bouroncle, PhD , LTG Associates, Inc., Takoma Park, MD
Cathleen Crain, MAA , LTG Associates, Inc., Takoma Park, MD
Niel Tashima, PhD , LTG Associates, Inc., Takoma Park, MD
Almost a third of women in the United States experience physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence is difficult to measure because it occurs in private and victims are reluctant to report abuse because of shame, stigma and fear of reprisal. Available data suggest that IPV is not more prevalent in immigrant and refugee communities than in other groups. However, there are several factors that make it especially difficult for victims to seek or obtain help, such as immigration status, language barriers, and lack of knowledge of U.S. social systems. Moreover, mainstream organizations serving battered women may lack cultural and linguistic competence to work effectively in these communities.

To expand the knowledge base of effective IPV prevention, particularly for vulnerable populations, methods should be developed to evaluate community level interventions that have not been tested systematically. In the framework of the Strengthening What Works Initiative, eight grantee organizations participated in a collaborative evaluation of their IPV prevention programs. The evaluation used a mixed methods approach; however, due to the small number of participants, quantitative analysis did not lend itself for generalizations with statistical reliability. Thus, in order to assess the effectiveness of these programs, the evaluation became theory driven, whereas each program was a theory to be tested in real life conditions, and the results presented in the form of eight case studies that explore promising approaches to IPV prevention utilizing rigorous qualitative methods.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain 3 reasons for the why the immigrant or refugee status constitutes a barrier to obtain help. Describe the limitations of using exclusively quantitative methods to evaluate IPV prevention. Discuss ways to ensure rigor in qualitative analysis and the value of case studies.

Keywords: Evaluation, Refugees

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Program Deputy Director of the Strengthening What Works Initiative, provided technical assistance and recommendations to grantee organizations participating in this initiative.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.