African American

Women and Domestic

Violence and Seeking
Help
By: Betsy Tuitavuki, Kaitlin Hamblin, Zeinab Hussein
 Introduction
The reason we chose to look into the topic of African American women and Domestic
Violence and Seeking Help was because this topic is not one that is frequently
discussed within a variety of communities therefore we believe this is an important
topic to advocate and inform others about the complexity that is Domestic Violence
and Intimate Partner Violence.

Due to the lack of a consistent definition of Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner
Violence, we decided to come up with our own definition by combining a variety of
sources.

“Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence is power and control willingly
forced upon an individual in a relationship, either during or after, marriage or dating
regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and religion. This can
occur via physical, emotional, psychological, sexual or financial abuse or assault by
the other party and or parties of the relationship.”
Race
● Some researchers suggest that racism underlies much of the
domestic violence that African American women experience
because historically slavery promoted devaluation of African
American women, strained African American male–female
relationships, and provided little to no protection from sexual
assault.
● When compared with white women, African American
women have a significantly higher lifetime prevalence of rape,
physical violence, and stalking by an intimate partner (34.6%
among white women and 43.7% among African American
women).
Race part 2
● Institutional racism - is characterized by large organizations or governments that impose practices that
negatively affect access to health services, resulting in differences in the quality of healthcare for
racial/ethnic minority groups.
● Personally mediated racism - occurs when healthcare providers’ preconceived notions about racial
groups result in the provision of substandard healthcare to racial/ethnic minorities.
● Internalized racism - involves the embodiment and acceptance of stigmatizing messages from society
by racially oppressed groups.
● The three levels of racism play a key role in the trajectory of sexual and reproductive health
experiences and outcomes of African American women. Many studies suggest that African American
women are more likely than white women to experience discrimination, receive substandard medical
care, and undergo unnecessary surgeries such as hysterectomies
Stigmas

● African American women with HIV contend with demands stemming from institutional and
interpersonal racism and discrimination, sexism, and economic hardships. These factors intensify the
psychological distress associated with living with HIV, thus highlighting the need to explore multilevel,
additive stigma as experienced by African American women living with HIV/AIDS in the US South
● Multiple forms of social and structural marginalization, including neighborhood segregation, racial
discrimination, homophobia, powerlessness, and social isolation,8,9 increase HIV vulnerability and
contribute to lower quality of life for PLWHA (People Living With HIV/AIDS).
Religious Influences

● The Black church continues to be a pillar of strength to Black families

and communities
● The role of the Black church in responding to domestic violence has
been inconsistent and, at times, limited.
● African American women are more likely to turn to their faith
community and extended family first before reaching out to formal
providers, such as social workers, law enforcement, and health
professionals
● The church has often put the responsibility for the abuse on the
woman by encouraging her to pray, honor her sacred obligation to
marriage, and forgive her partner
Cultural Values and Beliefs

● African American women are strong (pride) - deny violence, vulnerability

● African Americans are responsible for themselves and others around them; as African Americans we
take care of ourselves - self-blame, self-sacrificing, embarrassed, ashamed if unable to control or
endure situation
● African American women are responsible for keeping family together - avoid leaving (Have to consider
effect of leaving on the children. How can you stop him from seeing his children?)
● African Americans "don't tell their business" - deny, or avoid disclosure
● Religious views (God will take care of it; pray; The Lord will change him)
Religious Influences
● There continue to be challenges with how spirituality and religion can be recognized and used as a
source of empowerment as opposed to a means to encourage someone to stay in an unsafe
relationship
● The Black church has a role to play in responding to domestic violence. Improving and increasing its
responsiveness can provide lifesaving measures for some and healing and transformative experiences
for others.
● There are four specific ways the church can strengthen its response to domestic violence:
-(1) - Breaking the silence and promoting awareness
-(2) - Broadening involvement
-(3) - Promoting gender equity, and,
-(4) - Enhancing clergy training.
 Lack of Information
● Research
○ Qualitative, Quantitative and longitudinal research
■ Does treatment work?
■ How are researchers reaching out to survivors/batterers?
○ Mental illnesses such as suicide, PTSD, depression and the effects
it plays in DV/IPV
■ a study resulted in almost half of the AA women surveyed
showed symptoms of depression, which supports the
connection of DV/IPV and mental health (Lucea et
al.2013).,
○ Research on women who actually use court services (Williams and
Jenkins, 2015).
■ Are they effective?
○ Most of research we found were from late 90s and early 00s,
which also says something about the lack of current research.
[Black and white silhouette of woman pressing hand against
forehead]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2019, from
https://mallorisymone.com/domestic-violencerape-culture/the
-epidemic-we-never-wanna-talk-about-domestic-violence/
Lack of Information cont.
● Masculinity
○ Lack of information/research on the connection of the ideals of
masculinity and African American men who abuse their intimate
partners.
○ Systematic discrimination, high rates of unemployment and
incarceration alienate AA/Black men from society so to reassert their
dominance, it’s often taken out onto their intimate partner CTOCOPOK. (n.d.). African man, African woman,
African, Man, Black, Woman,
○ Research “about structural, root causes of battering, especially in Silhouette,SVG,Graphics,Illustration,Vector,Logo,Digi
tal,Clipart [Digital image]. Retrieved April 18, 2019,
relation to the lived experiences of African American men” (Smith, from
https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/602914446/african-
man-african-woman-african-man
2008) is needed.
○ Need for research on AA men who are batterers (Smith, 2008).
 Services and Access
● Types
○ Informal services- most used and accessible
■ Family, Friends, community and religious leaders
● Typically the “first line of contact” (Lucea, Stockman, Mana-Ay,
Bertrand, Callwood, Coverston and Campbell, 2013)
● A study resulted in 86.9% of AA women who were, or had
been, in a DV relationship were willing to confide in a friend
than any other person (Fraser et al., 2002).
○ Formal Services
■ Clinics, treatment, DV shelters, doctors, criminal justice system
● Typically used when violence escalates, chance for dangerous
situation
● Many women are not aware of what resources are available to
them (Lucea et al., 2013).
Services and Access
● Access
○ Shame, stigmas (Fraser, McNutt, Clark, Williams-Muhammed & Lee, 2002), language
barriers, stereotyping and labeling ((Lucea et al., 2013) and financial instability
■ Being seen as the “strong black woman” can lead AA women to be denied shelter
○ there are limited services, especially for mental health treatment
■ Are they effective for AA/Black women?
● Approaches needed/Things to consider
○ Culturally competent services/approaches as well as spiritual sensitive approaches
(Arnette, Mascaro, Santana, Davis & Kaslow, 2007).
○ Open-minded, unprejudiced court services (Williams & Jenkins, 2015).
○ DV/IPV-specified service centers, staff who are trained in DV/IPV as well are equally
important for providing services to AA/Black women (Potter, 2008)
○ More awareness of DV/IPV in the AA community should be spread
○ For batterers, need for prevention programs and interventions (Smith, 2008).
 Statistics
● African American women are 2 ½ to 3 times as likely to die from Domestic
Violence (DV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). It is a leading cause of
death for African American women between the ages of 15 to 35. (Jones,
2014)
● 4 in 10 women will experience DV or IPV in their life. 9 in 10 African
American women murdered one their Male killer. (Green, 2017)
● “20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate
partner in the U.S.” (Safe Harbor)
● IPV survivors are at a higher risk for having: depression, PTSD, anxiety,
suicidal thoughts or behaviors, substance abuse, and eating disorders.
They are also at increased risk of back, limb, gastrointestinal, and
gynecological problems. (Lacey, 2017)
● In a control group out of 83 African American women, 59% screened
positive for depression. (Nicolaidis, 2010)
Racial Loyalty
● Racially Loyalty emerges from various aspects like trying to keep their
family together and wanting “their men healed, not imprisoned”
(Williams, 2017) Women are less likely to report their abusers also in
part due to the fact they would be sending them to violent systems.
Which, as seen throughout history, has a multi generational effect.
● There is a sense of mistrust of white systems such as healthcare and
emergency services that has been intergenerationally influenced. This
is due to the negative experiences and barriers African Americans
have faced in these systems. (Nicolaidis, 2010)
● Within the African American community, racism is seen as a larger
issue than sexism so women are more likely to but sexist issues on the
back burner. The silence of African American women can arise from
the deep sense of cultural and racial loyalty.(Jones, 2014)
 Socioeconomic Status
● Low Socioeconomic Status correlates to lower education achievement,
poverty, poor health,both physical and mental, are also due to inequality in
health resources and distribution, and overall quality of life. (APA, 2019)
● “Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have an impact on the
lifelong health and opportunity of individuals. Adverse childhood experiences
have been associated with risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions,
low life potential, and early death. And low-SES children are more than twice
as likely as their higher SES peers to have had three or more adverse
experiences” (APA, 2019)
● “Adolescents’ exposure to community violence is correlated with lower high
school grade point averages, with lower reading and math scores on
standardized tests, and decreased enjoyment and interest in school.” Also
adolescents who are exposed to family violence have a higher risk for
depression and depressive symptoms. (APA, 2019)
Socioeconomic Status Cont.
● Women who experience abusive
relationships frequently lose their jobs, via
being forced to quit or being fired and
experience high job turnover. This
continues even after women leave the
abusive relationship. (APA, 2019)
● Other effects seen from D.V and IPV are
that “Seventeen percent of cities cited
domestic violence as the primary cause of
family homelessness. And that a significant
portion of urban American adolescents
residing in violent neighborhoods perceive
they will die before age 35.” (APA, 2019)
In Conclusion
● Kaitlin: In conclusion, this was an enlightening topic to learn about. As a future Social Worker, I believe
it's important to understand, at least in part, various perspectives of populations and people that
might be encountered. I didn't understand the complexity of Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner
Violence until I got into this project but I greatly appreciated learning more about this important topic
in need of advocating and more awareness.
● Zainab: I was interested in learning more about this topic because domestic violence is a serious
problem that must be addressed on the individual, family, community, and societal levels. Violence is
not random, inescapable, or uncontrollable. People should try their best to address these issues so
that they don’t occur as often.
● Betsy: Being able to research about this topic was a great learning process. There are so many factors
that are connected to domestic violence in the African American community. The need for more
research, awareness and medical attention is only a small solution that will make a huge difference.
I’ve only learned new information while doing this project.
Sources
Kaitlin’s Sources:
● American Psychological Association. (2019). Violence and Socioeconomic Status. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from
https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/violence
● Green, S. (2017, July 13). Violence Against Black Women - Many Types, Far-reaching Effects. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from
https://iwpr.org/violence-black-women-many-types-far-reaching-effects/
● Jones, F. (2014, September 10). Why Black Women Struggle More With Domestic Violence. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from
http://amp.timeinc.net/time/3313343/ray-rice-black-women-domestic-violence
● Lacey, K. K., Sears, K. P., Matsuko, N., & Jackson, J. S. (2015). Severe Physical Violence and Black Women’s Health and Well-Being.
American Journal of Public Health, 105(4), 719–724. https://doi-org.libprox1.slcc.edu/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301886
● https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=101698041&site=eds-live
● Nicolaidis, C., Timmons, V., Thomas, M. J., Waters, A. S., Wahab, S., Mejia, A., & Mitchell, S. R. (2010). “You Don’t Go Tell White People
Nothing”: African American Women’s Perspectives on the Influence of Violence and Race on Depression and Depression Care. American
Journal of Public Health, 100(8), 1470–1476. Retrieved from
https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=52336067&site=eds-live
● Osborne, M. (2018, October 31). Let's Talk About Domestic Violence in Black Communities. Retrieved April 18, 2019, from
https://www.ywcaworks.org/blogs/ywca/wed-10312018-1422/lets-talk-about-domestic-violence-black-communities
● Stokes, J. (2018, October 3). Black Women and Domestic Violence: What You Don't See. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from
https://medium.com/@j.stokes/black-women-and-domestic-violence-w-309f0cdddd83
● The Center For Family Justice. (2019). What is Domestic Abuse? Retrieved from https://centerforfamilyjustice.org/faq/domestic-violence/
● Townes, C. (2013, October 22). How Women of Color Are Disproportionately Impacted by Domestic Violence. Retrieved April 18, 2019, from
https://thinkprogress.org/how-women-of-color-are-disproportionately-impacted-by-domestic-violence-6674e93a50c5/
● Williams, O. (2017, October 20). Domestic Violence, Silence and the Black Community: It's Time to Break the Cycle. Retrieved April 5, 2019,
from https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/breaking-cycle-domestic-violence-awareness/
Sources Cont.
Arnette, N. C., Mascaro, N., Santana, M. C., Davis, S., & Kaslow, N. J. (2007). Enhancing spiritual well-being among suicidal
African American female survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63(10), 909–924.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20403

Fraser, I. M., McNutt, L.-A., Clark, C., Williams-Muhammed, D., & Lee, R. (2002). Social support choices for help with abusive
relationships: Perceptions of AA women. Journal of Family Violence, 17(4), 363–375.
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020322600490

Lucea, M. B., Stockman, J. K., Mana-Ay, M., Bertrand, D., Callwood, G. B., Coverston, C. R., … Campbell, J. C. (2013). Factors
influencing resource use by African American and African Caribbean women disclosing intimate partner violence. Journal
of interpersonal violence, 28(8), 1617–1641. doi:10.1177/0886260512468326

Potter, H. (2008). Battle Cries : Black Women and Intimate Partner Abuse. New York: NYU Press. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1020886&site=eds-live

Smith, E. (2008). African American Men and Intimate Partner Violence. Journal of African American Studies, 12(2), 156–179.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-008-9039-4

Williams, O. J., & Jenkins, E. J. (2015). Minority Judges’ Recommendations for Improving Court Services for Battered Women of
Color: A Focus Group Report. Journal of Child Custody, 12(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2015.1060877
 Sources Cont..
Image Citations:

● Everything’s Magnificent. Woman with “Protect and Respect the Black Woman” sign image. “Letter to Black Women” Magnificent Miles. 2017. Accessed:
April 18, 2019. Retrieved from: https://everythingsmagnificent.com/2017/03/08/letter-to-black-women/
● Patients Rights Action Fund. White “Minority Mental Health Month” image. “Assisted Suicide is Still Suicide and July is Minority Mental Health Month.”
Patients Rights Action Fund. Jul 30. Accessed April 18, 2019. Retrieved from:https://patientsrightsaction.org/july-is-minority-mental-health-month/
● Safe Harbor Shelter. Purple “October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month” image. “October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month… ...Why It Is
Important.” Safe Harbor Shelter. October, 2018. Accessed April 18, 2019. Retrieved from:
https://safeharborshelter.com/2018/10/04/october-is-domestic-violence-awareness-month-why-it-is-important/
● YWCA. All Purple Domestic Violence Statistic images. “Let’s Talk About Domestic Violence in Black Communities” Michelle Osborne. 10/31/2019. Accessed
04/18/2019. Retrieved from: https://www.ywcaworks.org/blogs/ywca/wed-10312018-1422/lets-talk-about-domestic-violence-black-communities