Domestic Violence, Culture, and Relationship Dynamics Among Immigrant Mexican Women

Abstract

Immigrant Mexican women experience domestic violence, yet little is known about the cultural dynamics of their living with domestic violence. The authors conducted qualitative exploratory, in-depth interviews using grounded theory to examine domestic violence among nine immigrant Mexican women who were residing in a southwestern city. Dating patterns; parental influence; cultural concepts, such as familism and machismo; and trying to keep the family together were subcategories that emerged in the data that led to three socially and culturally relevant hypotheses for preventing domestic violence for immigrant Mexican women. Social workers can use the findings to gain a better understanding of how to serve immigrant Mexican women who experience domestic violence.