The likelihood of Latino women to seek help in response to interpersonalvictimization: An examination of individual, interpersonal and socioculturalinfluences

• Main Authors: Chiara Sabina, Carlos A. Cuevas, Erin Lannen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2014-07-01
• Series: Psychosocial Intervention
• Online Access: http://www.copmadrid.org/webcopm/publicaciones/social/in2014v23n2a3.pdf

Help-seeking is a process that is influenced by individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors. Thecurrent study examined these influences on the likelihood of seeking help (police, pressing charges,medical services, social services, and informal help) for interpersonal violence among a national sample ofLatino women. Women living in high-density Latino neighborhoods in the USA were interviewed by phonein their preferred language. Women reporting being, on average, between "somewhat likely" and "verylikely" to seek help should they experience interpersonal victimization. Sequential linear regression resultsindicated that individual (age, depression), interpersonal (having children, past victimization), andsociocultural factors (immigrant status, acculturation) were associated with the self-reported likelihood ofseeking help for interpersonal violence. Having children was consistently related to a greater likelihood toseek all forms of help. Overall, women appear to respond to violence in ways that reflects their ecologicalcontext. Help-seeking is best understood within a multi-layered and dynamic context.