A Systematic Review of Barriers to Formal Help Seeking for Adult Survivors of IPV in the United States, 2005–2019

Abstract

For individuals experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), formal services, including community agencies, health services, or the criminal justice system, are critical resources. Understanding the specific barriers that hinder or prevent survivors from seeking help from formal services could reveal important implications for the development of services for IPV as well as for members of other organizations who encounter survivors. The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify barriers to help-seeking from formal services for survivors. Ten electronic databases were searched for key terms related to IPV, help seeking from formal services, and barriers to help seeking. Articles were included in the review if they were U.S.-based, contained samples that were adults who had experienced IPV, and discussed barriers to seeking help from formal services. An initial search yielded 1,155 articles and after screening, 29 articles were included in the review. Data were extracted to reveal the state of the literature regarding help-seeking barriers for survivors. Six barriers to help seeking were identified as follows: (1) lack of awareness, (2) access challenges, (3) consequences of disclosure, (4) lack of material resources, (5) personal barriers, and (6) system failures. These findings demonstrate the need for continued education surrounding available services for IPV as well as the continued development of resources that can mitigate personal barriers that survivors may face. Furthermore, these findings illuminate the necessity to increase the access of services, particularly for non-English speakers, immigrants and refugees, individuals with disabilities, men, and LGBTQIA identified individuals.

Public Helping Reactions to Intimate Partner Violence against Women in European Countries: The Role of Gender-Related Individual and Macrosocial Factors

“…Although there is well-known evidence concerning the barriers that IPVAW victims face when weighing the decision to disclose the violence they have experienced [ 58 ], the psychosocial characteristics—at different levels of social ecology—that affect public decisions to provide help remain unclear [ 33 ]. To clarify this gap, we analyzed differences in individuals’ helping reactions to known IPVAW victims across 28 European countries by examining whether (a) at the individual level, gender-related attitudes and perceptions toward different forms of VAW would replicate prior effects with real self-reported help, and (b) at the country level, gender-related macrosocial ideological and structural characteristics would promote helping reactions to known IPVAW.…”

Comparing 911 and emergency hotline calls for domestic violence in seven cities: What happened when people started staying home due to COVID‐19?

“…While these studies showed changes in police calls for DV service during COVID‐19, prior research has consistently demonstrated that most DV victims do not call police after incidents of violence (Morgan & Truman, 2020 ). Victims of DV describe a range of barriers to reporting to police, including concerns that they will not be believed or that nothing will be done, fears of retaliation by the perpetrator, and a reliance on the perpetrator for material resources (e.g., housing and financial support), among others (Robinson et al., 2020 ). The pandemic‐related economic downturn has likely increased concerns regarding negative consequences of reporting to police, and victims may be inclined to access support and resources from other sources such as emergency hotlines (Sorenson et al., 2021 ).…”

Comparing 911 and Emergency Hotline Calls for Domestic Violence in Seven Cities: What Happened When People Started Staying Home Due to COVID-19?

“…While these studies showed changes in police calls for DV service during COVID-19, prior research has consistently demonstrated that most DV victims do not call police after incidents of partner violence (Morgan & Truman, 2020). Victims of DV describe a range of barriers to reporting to police, including concerns that they will not be believed or that nothing will be done, fears of retaliation by the perpetrator, and a reliance on the perpetrator for material resources (e.g., housing, financial support), among others (Robinson, Ravi, & Voth Schrag, 2020). The pandemic-related economic downturn has likely increased concerns regarding negative consequences of reporting to police, and victims may be inclined to access support and resources from other sources like emergency hotlines (Sorenson, Sinko, & Berk, 2021).…”