Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2012 Jan;27(1):40-61. doi: 10.1177/0886260511416460. Epub 2011 Aug 22.
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.
本研究旨在调查拉丁裔女性群体中人际受害的正式和非正式求助反应。此外，还对不同受害类型的求助情况进行了研究。数据来自拉丁裔女性性侵犯研究（SALAS），该研究获得了受害亚群体中拉丁裔女性的求助率（n=714；全国样本的 35.7%）。结果表明，大多数（76.6%）受害参与者采取了某种形式的求助，非正式资源（68.9%）的使用率高于正式资源（32.5%）。在受伤的受害女性中，最常寻求的正式求助类型是医疗（34.7%），而父母是最常见的非正式求助来源（26.6%）。然而，逻辑回归分析表明，求助反应受到受害类型的显著影响。经历过儿童期受害的拉丁裔女性不太可能进行正式和非正式求助。经历过跟踪的拉丁裔女性不太可能进行正式求助。使用武器的受害与增加正式求助的几率显著相关。因此，女性以受侵害经历的动态为特征的方式对暴力做出反应。实践意义包括需要提高对正式求助场所的认识和可用性。
