Top

Published in:

01-02-2020 | Original Article

Sí, Yo Puedo (Yes, I Can) Curriculum and Empowerment Program for Immigrant Latina Women in Group Settings: Utilization of the Program at a Police Department

Author: Catherine L. Marrs Fuchsel

Published in: Journal of Family Violence | Issue 2/2020

Abstract

Immigrant Latinas experiencing incidences of interpersonal violence require services from police departments. This study builds upon a previous mixed-method study conducted at a police department between 2016 and 2017 in a Midwestern state. This study examines immigrant Latinas’ experiences with a culturally specific curriculum, Sí, Yo Puedo, designed to foster self-esteem and provide education on interpersonal violence and healthy relationships. Nineteen immigrant Latinas participated in three educational groups undergoing the curriculum. Pre/post 36-item surveys inclusive of nine demographic questions and two measurement scales were used to examine differences in self-esteem and attitudes and knowledge toward interpersonal violence. Open-ended qualitative items assessed participants’ overall experiences with the Sí, Yo Puedo program. No statistically significant differences between the mean pre- and post-test self-esteem scores were detected. Significant differences were noted regarding participants’ disagreements that disapprove or show better knowledge about IPV in the attitudes and knowledge toward interpersonal violence scores. Participants reported positive feelings of increased confidence and self-esteem and reports of learning about legal rights and the dynamics of interpersonal violence. Findings implicate this curriculum as a culturally competent service tool for police departments working with this population.

Aguilar, R. J., & Nightingale, N. N. (1994). The impact of specific battering experiences on the self-esteem of abused women. Journal of Family Violence, 9(1), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531967.CrossRef

Alvarez, C. P., Davidson, P. M., Fleming, C., & Glass, N. E. (2016). Elements of effective interventions for addressing intimate partner violence in Latina women: A systematic review. PLoS One, 11(8), e0160518. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160518.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Benjamini, Y., & Hochberg, Y. (1995). Controlling the false discovery rate: A practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B: Methodological, 57(1), 289–300.

Bhuyan, R., & Velagapudi, K. (2013). From one “dragon sleigh” to another: Advocating for immigrant women facing violence in Kansas. Affilia, 28(1), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109912475049.CrossRef

Cañete-Lairla, M., & Gil-Lacruz, M. (2018). Psychosocial variables associated with verbal abuse as a form of intimate partner violence against women in a Spanish sample. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 27(3), 237–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2017.1320343.CrossRef

Cerulli, C., Edwardsen, E., Hall, D., Chan, K., & Conner, K. (2015). Improving coordinated responses for victims of intimate partner violence: Law enforcement compliance with state-mandated intimate partner violence documentation. Violence Against Women, 21(7), 897–907. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801215584072.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Charter, R. (2003). Study samples are too small to produce sufficiently precise reliability coefficients. The Journal of General Psychology, 130, 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221300309601280.CrossRefPubMed

City of West Chicago. (2016). Support services division. Retrieved from http://westchicago.org/departments/police/support-services-division/

Clark, H., Grogan-Kaylor, M., Galano, A., Stein, M., Montalvo-Liendo, S., & Graham-Bermann, F. (2018). Reducing intimate partner violence among Latinas through the moms’ empowerment program: An efficacy trial. Journal of Family Violence, 33(4), 257–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-018-9957-4.CrossRef

Da Silva, N., Verdejo, T., Dillon, F., Ertl, M., & De La Rosa, M. (2018). Marianismo beliefs, intimate partner violence, and psychological distress among recently immigrated, young adult Latinas. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 00(0), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518778263.

Dichter, M., & Gelles, R. (2012). Women’s perceptions of safety and risk following police intervention for intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 18(1), 44–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801212437016.CrossRefPubMed

DiCorcia, D., Stein, S. F., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Galano, M. M., Clark, H., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2016). Undiagnosed depression in Spanish-speaking Latinas exposed to intimate partner violence. Families in Society: Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 97(4), 313–320. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2016.97.38.CrossRef

Erez, E., Adelman, M., & Gregory, C. (2009). Intersections of immigration and domestic violence: Voices of battered immigrant women. Feminist Criminology, 4(1), 32–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085108325413.CrossRef

Exum, M., Hartman, J., Friday, P., & Lord, V. (2014). Policing domestic violence in the post-SARP era: The impact of a domestic violence police unit. Crime & Delinquency, 60(7), 999–1032. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128710382345.CrossRef

Gonzalez-Guarda, R., Cummings, M., Becerra, A., Fernandez, C., & Mesa, I. (2013). Needs and preferences for the prevention of intimate partner violence among Hispanics: A community’s perspective. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 34(4), 221–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-013-0312-5.CrossRefPubMed

Lynch, S. M. (2013). Not good enough and on a tether: Exploring how violent relationships impact women's sense of self. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 41(2), 220–246. https://doi.org/10.1521/pdps.2013.41.2.219.CrossRef

Marrs Fuchsel, C. (2017). Yes, I can (Si, Yo puedo): An empowerment program for immigrant Latina women in group settings. New York: Oxford University Press.

Marrs Fuchsel, C., Valencia, R., Stefango, E., Uplegger, M., & Senne, E. (2017). Si, Yo puedo curricula and police departments: Educating immigrant Latinas. Social Work with Groups, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2017.1318329.

Matheson, F. I., Daoud, N., Hamilton-Wright, S., Borenstein, H., Pedersen, C., & O'Campo, P. (2015). Where did she go? The transformation of self-esteem, self-identity, and mental well-being among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Women's Health Issues, 25(5), 561–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2015.04.006.CrossRefPubMed

Messing, J. T., Becerra, D., Ward-Lasher, A., & Androff, D. K. (2015). Latinas’ perceptions of law enforcement: Fear of deportation, crime reporting, and trust in the system. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 30, 328–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109915576520.CrossRef

Messing, J., Vega, S., Durfee, A., Lopez, V., & Pasko, L. (2017). Protection order use among Latina survivors of intimate partner violence. Feminist Criminology, 12(3), 199–223. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085116678924.CrossRef

Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (2014). Applied social research: Tool for the human services (9th ed.). Belmont: Brooks/Cole.

Moracco, K. E., Hilton, A., Hodges, K. G., & Frasier, P. Y. (2005). Knowledge and attitudes about intimate partner violence among immigrant Latinos in rural North Carolina: Baseline information and implications for outreach. Violence Against Women, 11, 337–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801204273296.CrossRefPubMed

Nicholson, S. B., & Lutz, D. J. (2017). The importance of cognitive dissonance in understanding and treating victims of intimate partner violence. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 26(5), 475–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2017.1314989.CrossRef

Novisky, M., & Peralta, R. (2015). When women tell: Intimate partner violence and the factors associated with police notification. Violence Against Women, 21(1), 65–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801214564078.CrossRefPubMed

Orava, T. A., McLeod, P. J., & Sharpe, D. (1996). Perceptions of control, depressive symptomatology, and self-esteem of women in transition from abusive relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 11(2), 167–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02336668.CrossRef

Page, R., Chilton, J., Montalvo-Liendo, N., Matthews, D., & Nava, A. (2017). Empowerment in Latina immigrant women recovering from interpersonal violence: A concept analysis. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 28(6), 531–539. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659617707014.CrossRefPubMed

Perilla, J., Serrata, J., Weinberg, J., & Lippy, C. (2012). Integrating women's voices and theory: A comprehensive domestic violence intervention for Latinas. Women & Therapy, 35(1–2), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2012.634731.CrossRef

Reina, A. S., & Lohman, B. J. (2015). Barriers preventing Latina immigrants from seeking advocacy services for domestic violence victims: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Family Violence, 30, 479–488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-015-9696-8.CrossRef

Robins, W., Hendin, H. M., & Trzesniewski, K. H. (2001). Measuring global self-esteem: Construct validation of a single-item measure and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 151–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167201272002.CrossRef

Serrata, J., Macias, R., Rosales, A., Hernandez-Martinez, M., Rodriguez, R., Perilla, J., & Hamby, S. (2017). Expanding evidence-based practice models for domestic violence initiatives: A community-centered approach. Psychology of Violence, 7(1), 158–165. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000051.CrossRef

Silva-Martínez, E. (2017). “Allow me to speak”: Stories of courage among immigrant Latina survivors of intimate partner violence. Affilia, 32(4), 446–460. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109917721140.CrossRef

Stover, C. S. (2012). Police–advocacy partnerships in response to domestic violence. Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations, 12(2), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332586.2012.717031.CrossRef

Terrazas-Carrillo, E., McWhirter, P., & Martel, K. (2016). Depression among Mexican women: The impact of nonviolent coercive control, intimate partner violence and employment status. Journal of Family Violence, 31(6), 721–734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9827-x.CrossRef

United States Census Bureau. (2016). American FactFinder. Retrieved from https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk

Zadnik, E., Sabina, C., & Cuevas, C. (2016). Violence against Latinas: The effects of undocumented status on rates of victimization and help-seeking. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(6), 1141–1153. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626051456406.CrossRefPubMed

Title: Sí, Yo Puedo (Yes, I Can) Curriculum and Empowerment Program for Immigrant Latina Women in Group Settings: Utilization of the Program at a Police Department
Author: Catherine L. Marrs Fuchsel
Publication date: 01-02-2020
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Family Violence / Issue 2/2020
Print ISSN: 0885-7482
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00087-7

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Sí, Yo Puedo (Yes, I Can) Curriculum and Empowerment Program for Immigrant Latina Women in Group Settings: Utilization of the Program at a Police Department

Abstract

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 2/2020

Longitudinal Trajectories of Child-to-Parent Violence through Adolescence

Understanding the Landscape of Substance Use Management Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters across Ontario

Well-Being of Latina Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Receiving Trauma-Informed and Culturally-Specific Services

Evaluating the Effects of an Adolescent Family Violence Intervention Program on Recidivism among Court-Involved Youth

Coping Behaviors Mediate Associations between Occupational Factors and Compassion Satisfaction among the Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Workforce

A Pilot Study Evaluation of a Parent Group for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence