The Connection of U.S. Best Practices to Outcomes for Vietnamese American Women Abused by Intimate Partners

A grounded theory approach and sensitizing concepts were used to study U.S. best practices for addressing intimate partner violence against 55 Vietnamese American women interviewed at the beginning and end of a twelve‐month period. Advocacy agency, police, and court contact were associated with women's decisions to leave abusive relationships. Also associated were Vietnamese‐speaking professionals and referrals between helping sources. Women's observation of the deterrent effect of the law and of justice‐system involvement explained the stopping of abuse in several but not all cases. Women who stayed in abusive situations received social work help from Vietnamese‐speaking staff who understood their cultures, and those with emotional abuse tended to receive no assistance. All women initially had high levels of feeling controlled, frightened, and depressed. The greatest improvements were for women whose abuse stopped or who left. Best practices (coordinated community responses, culturally competent services) appeared to be effective, but nationally they are not uniformly available to many cultural and linguistic groups.