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Intimate Partner Violence and Depression Among Latin American Women in Toronto

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Abstract

Research from the United States suggests that Latin American immigrant and refugee women are one of the groups most greatly impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV) and associated mental health consequences including higher rates of depression than women from other ethno-racial groups. In Canada, little is known about the experience of IPV and mental health among this population. Even in the broader North American context, how Latin American women themselves perceive the connection between IPV and depression is unknown. This paper presents the findings of a pilot study that examined the perceived relationship between IPV and depression among Spanish-Speaking Latin American Women in Toronto, Canada. The theoretical framework guiding this qualitative study combined an ecological model for understanding gender based violence and mental health with critical intersectionality theory. Using a convenience and snowball sampling method, semi-structured interviews (n = 12) were conducted and thematic content analysis was completed supported by Nvivo9® qualitative data management software. All participants had experienced some form of IPV in their adult lives, with psychological violence being the most common. Women perceived a powerful connection between IPV and depression, a link made stronger by the accumulation of other adverse life experiences including childhood abuse, war traumas and migration. The results suggest that IPV is just one of the challenges experienced by Latin American refugee and immigrant women. IPV is experienced in the context of other traumatic experiences and social hardships that may work to intensify the association of IPV and depression in this population.

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Notes

  1. The term Latin America is used to refer to countries in the Western hemisphere south of the United States whose official languages are Spanish and Portuguese. This paper focuses on the experiences of women from Spanish speaking countries of Latin America. In literature from the United States the term “Hispanic” and “Latina” are often used to refer to women of Latin American descent.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this research was provided by the Social Aetiology of Mental Illness (SAMI-CIHR) program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The authors would like to acknowledge participants in this study, Angela D’Unian and Andrea Natalia Pujalte for research assistance and Sandra Godoy and Carlos Ruiz for editing support. Special thanks to the following community centres: Black Creek Community Health Centre, COSTI Immigrant Services, Mennonite New Life Centre, Centre for Spanish Speaking People.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada

    Paula Godoy-Ruiz

  2. Social Aetiology of Mental Illness (SAMI) Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Paula Godoy-Ruiz & Kwame McKenzie

  3. Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Brenda Toner

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Brenda Toner, Carolina Vidal & Kwame McKenzie

  5. Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Robin Mason

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  1. Paula Godoy-Ruiz
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  2. Brenda Toner
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  4. Carolina Vidal
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  5. Kwame McKenzie
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Correspondence to Paula Godoy-Ruiz.

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Godoy-Ruiz, P., Toner, B., Mason, R. et al. Intimate Partner Violence and Depression Among Latin American Women in Toronto. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 1771–1780 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0145-1

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