@article{ref1,
title="A systematic review of barriers to formal supports for women who have experienced intimate partner violence in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America",
journal="Trauma, violence, and abuse",
year="2023",
author="Carney, Jessica R.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Latin America (LA)'s Spanish-speaking countries have demonstrated great need for formal services, including medical, legal, and mental health supports. However, women's rates of formal help-seeking for IPV in the Americas remain extremely low. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand barriers to women's help-seeking for IPV in LA's Spanish-speaking countries. Five electronic databases were searched with search terms in English and Spanish related to IPV, help-seeking, and barriers. Articles were included in the review if they were published in peer-reviewed journals; original empirical research; published in English or Spanish; and had participants who were women exposed to IPV or service providers who worked with IPV-exposed women; and were conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. 19 manuscripts were synthesized. Inductive thematic analysis of barriers to formal help-seeking for IPV identified in the articles resulted in five key themes: intrapersonal barriers, interpersonal barriers, organization-specific barriers, systemic barriers, and cultural barriers. <br><br>FINDINGS demonstrate the need to consider culture as a driving force in why women face extensive barriers to help-seeking across the social ecology. Suggestions for interventions at each level of the social ecology to better support women exposed to IPV in LA's Spanish-speaking countries are discussed.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1524-8380",
doi="10.1177/15248380231156196",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15248380231156196"
}