Family violence knowledge in culturally diverse communities and organisational preparedness to disseminate information

Abstract

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.

Influence of Cultural Norms on Formal Service Engagement Among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Meta-synthesis

“…However, observations of help-seeking behaviors among non-Anglo-Saxon communities are varied. A systematic review of cross-cultural differences in help-seeking by Satyen et al (2019) found that although Latina/ Hispanic and African American women were less likely to engage in formal help-seeking than Caucasian women overall, they were more likely to utilize primary health care and law enforcement services. These findings indicate that differences in help-seeking may be better understood in the context of the types of formal support sought, rather than the frequency (Flicker et al, 2011).…”