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Hope and Health in Aging Mexican-american Women With a Lived Experience of Intimate Partner Violence

Year: 2017
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV), a serious preventable public health problem, affects one in three women worldwide and crosses all boundaries including age, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic. From a salutogenic perspective, this qualitative study, guided by Interpretive Interactionism, not only explored the lived experience of IPV in aging Mexican-American women but captured the healing journey of 12 women, aged 55–85, recruited from the U.S.-Mexico border region. Each of the women, four of whom were Spanish speaking only, completed two semi-structured 60–90 minute audiotaped interviews. The interviews were coded and categorized. Epiphanies, transformational moments within the IPV experiences, were identified and major themes interpreted. The narratives revealed six themes that portrayed strength throughout and beyond IPV and highlighted influential factors in health and healing: “Un torbellino”… “A whirlwind of violence and emotions;” “A decision to leave for good;” “Healing and salutogenesis;” “A desire to break the cycle;” “Who am I today?”… “Proud, courageous, and content”…”Orgullosa, valiente, y contenta;” and “Life teaches us so much.” All of the women in this study voiced a desire to break the cycle of violence for future generations and their wisdom offers hope. The findings underscore the importance of holistic, culturally sensitive models of healing to improve health outcomes for aging women affected by IPV among other adversities. Given the mandate for an upstream approach to decrease IPV, the inclusion of aging survivors in primary prevention efforts merits further exploration.
DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igx004.2860
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2730489204
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