Intimate partner violence prevention amongst Arab American young adults in Chicago: Implications for intervention development.

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) rates in the Arab American community are high, and there are gaps in the understanding of young adults' perspectives on IPV and its prevention. The aims of this study are to describe Arab American young adults' perspectives on the design of IPV prevention programmes and to document and explore their understanding and experiences with IPV. This exploratory study was part of a larger community-based participatory mixed-method study (QUAL-quan) amongst Arabs in Chicago and focused on young adult participants (18-25 years). Participants (n=44) completed an IPV survey about IPV perpetration and victimization, dating violence norms, conflict management skills, gender stereotyping, and belief in the need for help. From four focus groups (22 participants), we explored Arab American young adults' perspectives on IPV prevention programme development. Participants supported the adaptation and development of a youth-centred IPV prevention intervention that is community-based, culturally informed, and inclusive of multiple Arab community stakeholders. The survey results indicated multiple experiences with psychological and physical dating violence victimization (76.3% and 47.2%) and perpetration (62.2% and 27%). Arab American young adults in Chicago are exposed to high rates of IPV. Community-based participatory approaches are needed to develop IPV prevention interventions that centre community needs. Intimate partner violence is a significant public health problem; nearly 1 in 4 women have experienced IPV at some point in their life, and about 70% of those experiencing IPV, experience their first victimization before the age of 25. Arab American young adults experience high rates of IPV victimization and perpetration, requiring urgent attention. Participants proposed various community-based strategies to develop IPV prevention programmes that include multiple community stakeholders. Community-based organizations and researchers, schools and religious institutions could establish collaborations to ensure the adaptation and development of community-informed IPV prevention programmes.