Violence against Women: An Exploration of the Physical and Mental Health Trends among Immigrant and Refugee Women in Canada.

Sepali Guruge,Cristina Catallo,Brenda Roche

doi:10.1155/2012/434592

Sepali Guruge, Cristina Catallo + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/434592

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Abstract

Violence against women is a serious health and social problem for women worldwide. Researchers have investigated the broad physical and mental health consequences of violence against women but few have focused on immigrant and refugee women. We assessed the history of violence and the impairment of physical and mental health among 60 women participants from the Iranian and Sri Lankan Tamil communities in Toronto, Canada. Our survey findings revealed that the participants had experienced various types of violence throughout their lifespan, with psychological abuse by a spouse/partner occurring most frequently in the past 12 months. Commonly reported types of abuse included insulting, criticizing, and intimidation by partner (psychological abuse); slapping, hitting, and shoving (physical abuse); and forced sexual intercourse and sexually degrading acts (sexual abuse) by a partner/spouse. We found that a substantial proportion of the participants also had experienced physical and mental health impairment, which could be a result of the various types of violence they had experienced throughout their lifespan. Research and practice implications are provided.

Highlights

Violence against women is a global phenomenon and involves a spectrum of physical, sexual, and psychological acts of control, threat, aggression, abuse, and assault
No published studies have focused on the experiences of violence throughout the lifespan and the physical and mental health consequences among immigrant and refugee women in Canada, even though more than 250,000 immigrants and refugees come to Canada annually, with a significant proportion arriving from the Middle East and Asia [1]
The ages of Sri Lankan Tamil women were evenly distributed across age groups; overall, they were older than the Iranian group

Summary

Introduction

Violence against women is a global phenomenon and involves a spectrum of physical, sexual, and psychological acts of control, threat, aggression, abuse, and assault. No published studies have focused on the experiences of violence throughout the lifespan and the physical and mental health consequences among immigrant and refugee women in Canada, even though more than 250,000 immigrants and refugees come to Canada annually, with a significant proportion arriving from the Middle East and Asia [1]. This paper presents the findings of a pilot study that examined women’s experience of violence throughout the lifespan and the presence of physical and mental health symptoms in a sample of Iranian and Sri Lankan Tamil immigrants and refugee women in Canada. Beliefs about gender roles and norms, and structural dimensions that may support violence against women (such as patriarchal systems and unequal power relations) vary cross-culturally. These inconsistencies may lead to underreporting of violence in some settings. Barriers to reporting (e.g., taboo, stigma) may significantly impede accurate collection of epidemiological data

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