Things Latinas need to plan for safety: A dual-site concept mapping study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Domestic Violence Research

Background:

• Latina women in the U.S. face high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV).
• Latinas access formal IPV services at lower rates compared to other demographics.
• Safety planning is a key intervention for IPV survivors, but specific needs of Latinas are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the safety planning priorities of Latina survivors of intimate partner violence.
• To understand how these priorities differ based on relationship status and geographic location.
• To inform the development of culturally tailored IPV safety planning interventions for Latinas.

Main Methods:

• Employed Group Concept Mapping, a mixed-method approach involving brainstorming, sorting, and rating safety planning needs.
• Engaged 46 Latina survivors and advocates in data collection across Chicago and Miami.
• Utilized multidimensional scaling, hierarchical cluster analysis, and bivariate correlations to analyze data.

Main Results:

• Identified seven distinct clusters of safety planning needs for Latina survivors.
• Found significant differences in priorities: legal services were critical for those planning to leave, while safety planning services were paramount for those remaining.
• Observed geographic variations in safety planning priorities between Chicago and Miami participants.

Conclusions:

• This research highlights the heterogeneity in safety planning needs among Latina IPV survivors.
• Findings underscore the necessity of tailoring safety planning interventions to the specific circumstances and intentions of Latina women.
• Results provide a foundation for developing more effective and culturally relevant IPV support services for this population.