Factors Contributing to Domestic Violence Among Hindu Asian Indian Immigrant Women in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: A Feasibility Study

26 Factors Contributing to Domestic Violence Among Hindu Asian Indian Immigrant Women in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: A Feasibility Study Pallatino et al. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice Volume 12, Issue 6, Winter 2019, pp. 26-47 © 2011 Center for Health Disparities Research School of Community Health Sciences University of Nevada, Las Vegas Factors Contributing to Domestic Violence among Hindu Asian Indian Immigrant Women in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: A Feasibility Study Chelsea L. Pallatino, PhD, MPH, Making Cents International Todd M. Bear, PhD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Martha Ann Terry, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Corresponding Author: Chelsea L. Pallatino, PhD, MPH, ABSTRACT While there is research on survivors of domestic violence in India and the United States (U.S.), little is known about the sociocultural factors related to domestic violence among Hindu Asian Indian immigrant women (AIIW) in the U.S. The objectives of this study were to a) test the feasibility of conducting domestic violence research among Hindu AIIW; b) investigate domestic violence prevalence and correlations with other characteristics; and c) test the cultural appropriateness of completed measures on social support, acculturation status, and domestic violence. Over 50% of respondents had experienced abuse, often perpetrated by family. Participants had high levels of social support and acculturation, regardless of their abuse status. Participants were receptive to this research, suggesting that domestic violence research among Hindu AIIW is feasible. High prevalence of violence among Hindu AIIW suggests they are at high risk for experiencing abuse; lack of variability in social support and acculturation scale responses suggest the need to further test instruments among Hindu AIIW. Keywords: domestic violence, Asian Indian immigrant women, feasibility research INTRODUCTION Lifetime experiences of domestic violence have been well-researched among American women in the U.S. and Indian women in India, but few studies have been conducted with Asian Indian immigrant women (AIIW) in the U.S. In the U.S., 25% of all women are estimated to experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and over 16% of women are victims of attempted or completed rape during their lifetime (Ackerson & Subramanian, 2008; Bhattacharya, Basu, Das, Sarkar, Das, & Roy, 2013). For women in India, estimates of domestic violence range from 6Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice Volume 12, Issue 6, Winter 2019 http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/ Follow on Facebook: Health.Disparities.Journal Follow on Twitter: @jhdrp 27 Factors Contributing to Domestic Violence Among Hindu Asian Indian Immigrant Women in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: A Feasibility Study Pallatino et al. 60% and it is estimated that domestic violence is reported every five minutes, often carried out by the husband or one of his relatives (Abramsky et al., 2011; Mahapatro, Gupta, & Gupta, 2012). Research has shown that immigrants who experience IPV are more likely to be of a minority racial group, perceive discrimination, report IPV less than nonimmigrant peers, and be less acculturated (Allagia, Regehr, & Rishchynski, 2009; Du Mont et al., 2012; Kimber et al., 2014; Vatnar & Bjorkly, 2010). Survivors of abuse are more likely to have arranged marriages, be of low-income and low caste, and have lower education levels (Abramsky et al., 2011; Ackerson, Kawachi, Barbeau, & Subramanian, 2008; Bhattacharya et al., 2013; Dalal & Lindqvist, 2012; Du Mont et al., 2012; Sabarwal, McCormick, Subramanian, & Silverman, 2012; Sabri, Renner, Stockman, Mittal, & Decker, 2014). Acculturation is the process by which individuals adjust to a new culture and choose whether or not to incorporate new behaviors and attitudes of that culture into their identity. Acculturation is an indicator of an individual’s or a group’s level of adaptation to a new, dominant culture. Acculturation status is important for understanding health outcomes of immigrant victims of violence, because not adopting cultural practices of the new country has been associated with more adverse mental health outcomes, history of child maltreatment, and higher risk for IPV (Hyman et al., 2006; Kimber et al., 2014; Mehta, 1998). Lack of assimilating or integrating the dominant culture’s norms is common when there is much cultural distance between the host culture and the culture of origin (Schwartz, Unger, Zamboanga, & Szapocznik, 2010). While diversity is acceptable in multicultural societies, when there is little tolerance for cultural practices that differ from the host culture, immigrant populations may become more isolated because of their differences, and instances of perceived and actual discrimination increase (Schwartz et al., 2010). Understanding the relationship between acculturation and domestic violence is crucial as the population of Asian Indians in the U.S. continues to increase, warranting the need to address and consider any concerns related to their safety. The Asian Indian diaspora is the third largest Asian diaspora in the U.S., with 3.8 million people as of 2013 (Zong & Batlova, 2016). Asian Indians are widely spread and heavily concentrated in a higher number of states, including in the geographic area of focus for this research study, Pennsylvania (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). As of 2013, 62% of the Asian population are first generation immigrants and 64% of females are first generation immigrants (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health it is estimated that as of 2014, 426,123 Asian and Pacific Islanders were in Pennsylvania, with the exact number of Asian Indians in the state being unclear due to lack of disaggregated data (Pennsylvania Department of Health, 2016). In general, the majority of Asian Indians view themselves as "very different" from the typical American and are less likely than most populous Asian groups in the U.S., such as Chinese, Filipino and Japanese Americans, to consider themselves as “typical” Americans (Pew Research Center, 2013). Asian Indians also care deeply about the quality of their relationships, with 64% of them reporting that having a successful marriage is "one of the most important things” in life compared to 34% of all Americans 18 or older (Pew Research Center, 2013). This rate is identical among Korean Americans, but exceeds rates among Vietnamese, Filipino, Japanese and Chinese Americans (Pew Research Center, 2013). Among Asian Indians, 78% reported that “being a good parent” is "one of the most important things" in life, which is higher than the five other most populous Asian groups in the U.S. and Americans (Pew Research Center, 2013). Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice Volume 12, Issue 6, Winter 2019 http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/ Follow on Facebook: Health.Disparities (...truncated)