Citation

Sabina C, Cuevas CA, Schally JL. Am. J. Community Psychol. 2011; 49(3-4): 347-363.

Affiliation

School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State Harrisburg, 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Olmsted Building W-311, Middletown, PA, 17057, USA, sabina@psu.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1007/s10464-011-9462-x

PMID

21842301

Abstract

The current study examined the influence of legal status and cultural variables (i.e., acculturation, gender role ideology and religious coping) on the formal and informal help-seeking efforts of Latino women who experienced interpersonal victimization. The sample was drawn from the Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) Study that surveyed 2,000 self-identified adult Latino women. The random digit dial methodology employed in high-density Latino neighborhoods resulted in a cooperation rate of 53.7%. Women who experienced lifetime victimization (n = 714) reported help-seeking efforts in response to their most distressful victimization event that occurred in the US. Approximately one-third of the women reported formal help-seeking and about 70% of women reported informal help-seeking. Help-seeking responses were generally not predicted by the cultural factors measured, with some exceptions. Anglo orientation and negative religious coping increased the likelihood of formal help-seeking. Positive religious coping, masculine gender role and Anglo acculturation increased the likelihood of specific forms of informal help-seeking. Latino orientation decreased the likelihood of talking to a sibling. Overall, these findings reinforce the importance of bilingual culturally competent services as cultural factors shape the ways in which women respond to victimization either formally or within their social networks.

Language: en