Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an issue that affects women across all cultures. It is essential to understand how women could be assisted to prevent and reduce the effects of violence. This systematic review examined studies that made cross-cultural comparisons of differences in help-seeking behaviour of women who have experienced IPV. Databases including the Cochrane Library, PsychInfo and others were searched for literature published between 1988 and 2016. Seventeen articles with a total of 40,904 participants met the inclusion criteria. This review found some differences in the procurement of support across cultural groups. While Caucasian women were more likely to seek assistance from formal services such as mental health and social services, Latina/Hispanic and African-American women were more likely to utilize other types of formal supports such as hospital and law enforcement services. The findings regarding utilization of informal support systems showed mixed results. Overall, the findings of this systematic review suggest that women from culturally diverse minority backgrounds should be educated and encouraged to access support before and after experiencing IPV. Further, potential barriers to help-seeking need to be identified and addressed across women from all cultures.

There is a dearth of research investigating whether public inquiries such as Royal Commissions trigger community behavior change or awareness about targeted health and social issues within the general community. This study examined trends in the reporting of intimate partner violence (IPV) and help-seeking behavior before and during the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence. Six hundred seventy-seven women across Australia, including 172 migrant and 505 nonmigrant women, completed surveys on their experience of IPV and help-seeking behavior over a 4-year period. Prevalence estimates were weighted to the Australian Census data to reflect the Australian population breakdown for age and migrant status. Results showed levels of IPV reported by participants significantly increased during the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence in 2015. Similarly, the perceived need to seek help for abuse significantly increased from the start of the Royal Commission; this was, however, evident for nonmigrant, but not migrant women. The findings are discussed considering the influence of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, its public profile, and the pervasiveness of the information about family violence during this time that could have led to an increasing trend in knowledge about family violence and the perception of requiring assistance in the general community. It is recommended that future Royal Commissions prepare for predictable changes in community behavior and institutions organize their resources to address the potential increased disclosure of the problems addressed.

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Millions of children are exposed to family violence around the world; however, the effects on adolescent academic achievement are poorly understood. Using a systematic search and review methodology, we synthesized studies that quantitatively examined the effects of exposure to family violence on academic achievement among adolescents. We searched for peer-reviewed, English-language articles in nine online databases. Thirteen studies that examined adolescents were included, where family violence exposure was the independent variable and academic achievement was the dependent variable. Of those, nine studies identified significant, direct, and negative effects of family violence exposure on adolescent academic achievement, and a further two identified significant, indirect, and negative effects. We found reasonable evidence showing that adolescents’ academic achievement is negatively affected by exposure to family violence. Our review findings indicate the importance of implementing prevention strategies to reduce children’s exposure to family violence, and intervention for those who have been exposed to it. Future research should further examine the moderating and mediating mechanisms by which family violence exposure affects academic achievement.

Issue addressed: Family violence presents a significant threat to the physical and psychological health of individuals and communities, with women from culturally diverse groups experiencing an increased risk of exposure to family violence and barriers to accessing support. It is necessary to examine the knowledge of family violence among these communities and their preferred source of knowledge to facilitate successful family violence prevention strategies.Methods: Thirty-one women (19 Indian and 12 Burmese) completed surveys on their knowledge of family violence, while 10 representatives from community organisations completed surveys on their readiness to participate in family violence prevention efforts. This was followed by 54 community organisations disseminating information about family violence through a poster.Results: Findings showed that the level of knowledge among culturally diverse communities is variable, with Indian women showing a greater understanding of a range of aspects of family violence compared to Burmese women. Findings also indicated a high degree of preparedness within organisations serving these communities to address family violence. Conclusion:The findings from the present study elucidate the state of family violence-related knowledge amongst the Indian and Burmese communities in a large municipality in Melbourne, Australia, and provide insight into community readiness to diffuse family violence-related information. This increased understanding could be used to enhance family violence prevention efforts in culturally diverse communities. So what?This study provides justification for the need for educational family violence prevention efforts within the Burmese and Indian communities. It also informs us of the importance of engaging with community organisations to implement family violence prevention strategies. K E Y W O R D S Burmese, community readiness, culture, family violence knowledge, Indian, information dissemination How to cite this article: Satyen L, Hansen A, Supol M. Family violence knowledge in culturally diverse communities and organisational preparedness to disseminate information. Health Promot J Austral. 2020;31:287-297. https ://doi.