TY - JOUR PY - 2012// TI - Help-Seeking in a National Sample of Victimized Latino Women: The Influence of Victimization Types JO - Journal of interpersonal violence A1 - Sabina, Chiara A1 - Cuevas, Carlos A. A1 - Schally, Jennifer L. SP - 40 EP - 61 VL - 27 IS - 1 N2 - The current study aimed to examine formal and informal help-seeking responses to interpersonal victimization among a national sample of Latino women. In addition, an examination of help-seeking by victimization type was undertaken. Data came from the Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) study that obtained help-seeking rates among a victimized subsample of Latino women (n = 714; 35.7% of a national sample). Results show a majority (76.6%) of the victimized participants engaged in some form of help-seeking with informal resources (68.9%) more often used than formal (32.5%). Medical attention was the type of formal help-seeking sought most often among victimized women who were injured (34.7%), and parents were the most common source of informal help-seeking (26.6%). However, logistic regression analyses show that help-seeking responses were significantly affected by type of victimization. Latino women who experienced childhood victimization were significantly less likely to engage in formal and informal help-seeking. Latino women who experienced stalking were significantly less likely to engage in formal help-seeking. Victimization with a weapon was significantly related to increased odds of formal help-seeking. Thus, women respond to violence in a way that is shaped by the dynamics of the victimization experience. Practice implications include the need to increase knowledge and availability of formal help-seeking venues.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0886-2605 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260511416460 ID - ref1 ER -