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Immigrant and refugee women may experience considerable multifaceted and interrelated barriers that place them at heightened risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). The objective of this analysis was to increase our understanding of immigrant and refugee women's responses to abuse. We conducted in-depth interviews with 84 women who immigrated from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Engendering Resilience to Survive emerged as the core category explaining women's strength to stay safe and survive IPV experiences. In the face of the violence they experienced, women in this sample demonstrated remarkable resilience and the ability to harness their strength to survive. Resilience as a process and outcome could facilitate empowerment, and self-directedness to access health services and resources to stay safe. The developed Engendering Resilience to Survive Model can be utilized as a framework to inform research, policy, and practice to support abused women.

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There is a movement toward permanent housing as an alternative to emergency shelter for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Through a case study, this article illuminates the challenges survivors encountered at multiple levels after being offered one of 25 permanent housing choice vouchers (HCVs) as part of the Survivors Achieving Stable Housing project. Obtaining an HCV is a complicated and lengthy process; survivors transitioning from emergency shelter may face time limits on shelter stays while awaiting this permanent housing option. This article identifies challenges, such as difficulties with landlords, moving costs, and a lack of affordable housing, similar to issues reported in previous research. However, specific to IPV survivors, intersecting U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 47) policies led to challenges in implementing and interpreting rules and guidance for IPV survivors. Survivor safety from an abusive partner and across other aspects of their lives is of particular concern to survivors as they consider housing options. Given the overlap of homelessness and IPV, social workers in both systems must be knowledgeable about the intersecting issues survivors face as well as the policies affecting them so they can advocate effectively for their clients.

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To promote safe and positive health outcomes by utilizing culturally relevant evidence-based interventions for immigrant and refugee women survivors of intimate partner violence, their active participation in research is critical. With 43.6 million immigrants and refugees living in the United States, there is a need for research studies to eliminate health disparities in these populations. However, barriers to recruiting and retaining these populations in research prevent the provision of quality and culturally informed services to meet their needs. The aim of this article is to discuss the recruitment and retention strategies employed and analyze the methodological and ethical challenges in the context of the weWomen Study. The use of a multifaceted approach informed by best practices maximized recruitment efforts and active participation that generated high numbers of immigrant and refugee women participants. The study also substantiated the need for more community-based participatory approaches to engage community members in the development of culturally appropriate approaches that instill a sense of ownership over the research process. Active research participation of immigrant and refugee survivors will help investigators understand their unique needs and facilitate the implementation of targeted evidence-based interventions.

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Strangulation is a common and dangerous form of intimate partner violence (IPV). Nonfatal strangulation is a risk factor for homicide; can lead to severe, long-term physical and mental health sequelae; and can be an effective strategy of coercion and control. To date, research has not examined strangulation within same-sex couples. The objective of this cross-sectional, observational research is to identify whether and to what extent the detection of strangulation and coercive control differs between same-sex and different-sex couples in police reports of IPV. Data (n = 2,207) were obtained from a single police department in the southwest United States (2011-2013). Bivariate analyses examined differences in victim and offender demographics, victim injury, violence, and coercive controlling behaviors between same-sex (male-male and female-female) and different-sex couples (female victim-male offender). Logistic regression was used to examine associations between strangulation, victim and offender demographics, coercive controlling behaviors, and couple configuration. Strangulation was reported significantly more often in different-sex (9.8%) than in female and male same-sex couple cases (5.2% and 5.3%, respectively; p < .05). Injury, however, was reported more frequently in same-sex than in different-sex couples (p < .05). Couple configuration (p < .05), coercive control (p < .05), and injury (p < .05) significantly predict strangulation. Findings suggest that nonfatal strangulation occurs within at least a minority of same-sex couples; it is possible that underdetection by law enforcement makes it appear less common than it actually is. Regardless of couple configuration, timely identification of strangulation and subsequent referral to medical and social service providers is essential for preventing repeated strangulation, life-threatening injury, and the long-term health effects of strangulation.

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Immigrant and refugee women are at high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) and intimate partner homicide (IPH). Given the growing number of immigrants and refugees in the US and the concerns about IPV and IPH among immigrant and refugee groups, this paper aims to identify survivors and practitioners' perceptions of a) common and culturally specific risk and protective factors for IPV and IPH for immigrant and refugee women and b) areas of safety planning interventions for survivors who are at risk for severe or lethal violence by an intimate partner. Qualitative data for this multi-site study were collected from women and practitioners residing in seven geographically diverse US locations. Eighty-three in-depth interviews were conducted with adult immigrant and refugee survivors of IPV, who identified as Asian (n=30), Latina (n=30), and African (n=23). Additionally, nine focus groups and five key informant interviews were conducted with practitioners (n=62) who serve immigrant and refugee survivors of IPV. Results revealed multilevel risk and protective factors for IPV/IPH found at the societal-level (e.g., patriarchal cultural norms), relationship-level (e.g., partner abusive behaviors), and individual-level (e.g., acculturation in the US). These findings can inform the development of culturally responsive risk assessment and safety planning interventions across legal, social service, and healthcare settings.

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Risk-informed collaborative police-social service interventions are an emerging strategy intended to enhance offender accountability and victim-survivors' safety in intimate partner violence (IPV) cases. These interventions use risk assessment to determine appropriate interventions and enhance the police response for dangerous offenders by engaging in collaboration with social work advocates. Because little is known about the responsiveness of police officers to risk-informed collaborative interventions, this study examines police officer (N = 544) attitudes toward IPV risk assessment and collaboration with social workers. The majority of police officers did not believe a social worker would be helpful at the scene of an IPV incident. However, those who agreed that a social worker would be helpful were more likely to be knowledgeable about the dynamics of IPV. Officers who believed risk assessment was important were more likely to believe that the police response to IPV is necessary. Finally, officers' perceived knowledge about risk for homicide was not consistently associated with actual knowledge about IPV. These findings suggest a need for knowledgeable social workers to collaborate with police, particularly in high-risk cases, and to offer training for officers on risk factors for homicide, coercive control, and misperceptions about IPV.

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Over the past 40 years, intimate partner violence (IPV) has evolved from an emerging social problem to a socially unacceptable crime. The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 encourages state policies that focus on criminal justice intervention, including mandatory arrest and prosecution. Services offered to victim-survivors of IPV are often tied to criminal justice intervention, or otherwise encourage separation. These interventions have been seen as effectively using the authority of the state to enhance women's power relative to that of abusive men. However, these interventions do not serve the needs of women who, for cultural or personal reasons, want to remain in their relationship, or marginalized women who fear the power of the state due to institutionalized violence, heterosexism, and racism. The one-size-fits-all approach that encourages prosecution and batterer intervention programs for offenders and shelter and advocacy for victim-survivors fails to adhere to the social work value of client self-determination and the practice principle of meeting clients where they are. It is imperative that social workers in all areas of practice are aware of IPV policies, services, and laws. Social workers' challenge moving forward is to develop innovative and evidence-based interventions that serve all victim-survivors of IPV

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