Citation

Burton CW, Guidry JD. J. Transcult. Nurs. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1043659620941583

PMID

32666892

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to explore how women of color affiliated with a large public university in the United States evaluated involving authorities in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or sexual assault (SA) and to discover if structural stressors such as racism or sexism influenced their thinking.

METHODology: Surveys on perceived ethnic discrimination, depression, trauma history, stress, social support, resilience, and sleep disturbance were completed by 87 self-identified women of color. All women also participated in one of several focus groups on IPV and SA.

RESULTS: Roughly half of participants had experienced SA and about a third experienced IPV. Participants identifying as Latinx/Hispanic or Black/African American reported the greatest experiences of structural stressors and also felt there was not always a potential safety gain with reporting IPV and/or SA.

DISCUSSION: The results of this study suggest universities must create more culturally competent environs of safety for women of color.

Language: en

Keywords

sexual assault; Intimate partner violence; college; women of color