title: Mexican immigrant women reaching out: the role of informal networks in the process of seeking help for intimate partner violence.
abstract: More inquiry is needed into how Mexican immigrant survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) are seeking help, to improve interventions designed to reach this isolated and vulnerable population. This grounded theory study, using a sample of 29 Mexican immigrant survivors of IPV and 15 key informants, examines the help-seeking process. Findings indicate that informal networks, particularly family and female friends, play a critical role in providing assistance and linking women to formal services. These findings have implications for the delivery of formal domestic violence services to this community as well as the response of police and other formal service systems.
authors.affiliation: Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA skyriakakis@adelphi.edu.
authors.forename: Stavroula
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kyriakakis
mesh_terms: D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Mexican; help-seeking; immigrant; informal networks; intimate partner violence