Cultural competence in the care of abused women

This article explains the concept of cultural competence, adding advocacy to models of culturally competent health care already in the literature and demonstrating how it relates to domestic violence. Abuse stages according to Landenburger's model of entrapment and recovery are presented with applicable cultural differences and specificities. Cultural issues related to specific childbearing-stage abuse interventions are also discussed. The principles of cultural competence, abuse- and childbearing-stage specificity, and empowerment are used as the basis for this model of clinical intervention with abused women.