Deconstructing the universal woman: exploring how domestic violence is experienced among the Russian, African - American, and Hispanic communities in Sacramento County

In 1985 former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop declared domestic violence (DV) a public health problem. Understood as a cycle of violence, DV is a learned behavior that future generations are destined to repeat in the absence of effective intervention and prevention. While DV programs are available for all victims, most programs approach DV as a gender-based problem and offer services assuming that all women experience DV similarly. However, research shows that women of different races and ethnicities experience DV differently due to the multilayered cultural contexts within which these women live. As a result, DV programs that treat the "universal woman" may unintentionally rebuff non-White and/or non-U.S. natives. In an effort to increase awareness and eliminate any perceived access barriers, a phenomenological method will be used within a social-ecological framework to understand the unique experiences of Russian, African American, and Hispanic DV victims living in Sacramento County. By using the social-ecological framework, as driven by the concept of intersectionality, the study may demonstrate that domestic violence agencies need to address the unique experiences and interpretations of DV victimization within these communities, A total of 11 out of 16 candidates were interviewed: three Russian, five African American, and three Hispanic women. The common themes that emerged were surrender, concealment, learned helplessness, escalation, and resilience and reconnection. It was determined that while the participants have had similar experiences with domestic violence, how they interpreted and reacted to the experiences varied according to their childhood and adult social ecologies. It was also determined that policies, laws, and initiatives to eliminate domestic violence in the macrosystem were ineffective in communities with contradictory exosystems. The need for cultural competence in domestic violence agencies is less of a requirement than the need to provide treatment that addresses victims' entire social ecologies, which will vary by individual, regardless of race and/or ethnicity. The recommendations to address women's social ecologies, and specifically the communities in which these women live, were the implementation of community ambassador, public school, and church programs; long-term advocacy; and comprehensive treatment that includes addressing the victim's exosystem.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201