Systematic Review: African American Sexual Minority Women, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and Help Seeking

Overview: African American women and LGBTQ+ individuals often experience more severe and higher rates of IPV. When examining IPV help-seeking, it is important to use an intersectional lens to understand the oppressions experienced by survivors with intersecting identities. This presentation systematically examines the literature of help-seeking among African American LGBTQ+ women.Proposal text:

Learning Objectives:
• Participants will be able to understand the current state of the literature regarding African American LGBTQ+ women’s experiences of IPV and
help seeking.
• Participants will be able to identify the social barriers African American LGBTQ+ women experience related to help seeking.

Background: Compared to other racial or ethnic groups, African American women have a higher chance of being murdered by an intimate partner (Violence Policy Center, 2020; Waller et al., 2021). Additionally, LGBTQ+ women have much higher prevalence rates of IPV. (Walters et al., 2013). Kim and Schmuhl (2021) explained that although same-sex couples might encounter IPV associated with their sexual minority status, there is still a dearth among past literature which focuses on same-sex relationships, which has not helped scholars to better understand the experiences of IPV among LGBTQ+ individuals. There is limited background knowledge regarding IPV experiences among African American individuals who identify as gay or lesbian (Kanuha, 2005; Taft et al., 2009; Waller et al., 2021; West, 2021). The aim of this systematic review is to present the body of scholarly knowledge related to IPV help seeking among African American LGBTQ+ women.

Methodology: A total of 11 databases were searched. Quantitative and qualitative studies were included if they included African American LGBTQ+ adult women and IPV help-seeking. The search terms included African American, Black, lesbian, bisexual, LGBTQ+, IPV, and help seeking. Initially, the search process from 1994 to 2021 generated a total of 234 articles. However, only 17 full text studies were screened which resulted in a final sample of six articles. Only one article included solely African American LGBTQ+ women while the other five articles included multiple racial groups.

Results: Studies indicated there are social barriers for why some African American LGBTQ+ women may choose to not report IPV or seek help from formal and informal sources. Findings indicated that having a job or sense of financial stability is associated with some forms of help seeking such as counseling. Additionally, studies pointed to the fear of being “outed,” discrimination and phobias, protecting privacy, or not being helped by agencies or law enforcement due to racial and LGBTQ+ identities.

Implications: Social work practitioners and educators should consider approaching interventions through an intersectional lens to better meet the unique needs of African American LGBTQ+ survivors. Cultural humility in practice among social workers should be applied when working with African American LGBTQ+. Future research is needed to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ women and the racial and social barriers they face when seeking help due to IPV. Research could aid practitioners in providing culturally-responsive screening and care. Social work educators should teach students how intersecting identities influence IPV help seeking. Lastly, intersectional policies should be expanded beyond VAWA.