Immigrants to Canada and intimate partner violence as it affect women’s mental health
Introduction
Intimate partner violence and the affiliated emotional abuse tend to have significant physical and mental health consequences especially for the women experiencing such violence type. Both aspects are always remains part of the forcible control within the society. In Canada, intimate partner violence tend to undermine immigrants more so the women and their ability to progress in life. In most cases, intimate partner violence results in mental health issues among the immigrants more specifically the women. This study will therefore focus on at least eight annotations that will differently examine the aspect of immigrant women’s health (mental health) in the Canadian context especially after intimate partner violence. Part of the study will simply be focusing on the correlations between mental health issues and IPV issues.
Yohani, S., Muster, J., Ndem, A., Cahambers, T., and Pow, V. (2018). A Scoping Review on Intimate Partner Violence in Canada’s Immigrant Communities. First Published September 3, 2018. Research Article, https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018789156
Intimate partner violence tends to destabilize immigrant’s ability to restore their lives especially in their lives as immigrants in Canada. Recent refugees and immigrants to Canada remain vulnerable to intimate partner violence. In most cases, they tend to arrive with limited support systems and are forced to struggle with the changing family life. These two aspects on top of intimate partner violence that they are like to experience during their stay in the country is likely to pose various serious risks to them in the broader society. In most cases, they are likely to experience mental health issues, which render them more vulnerable. A scoping review of various articles regarding intimate partner violence especially among Canadian immigrant groups established that there are various differences in experiences and perceptions, coping mechanisms and responses among the female survivors. One aspect that remained evident was the fact that the immigrants placed violence blame on the various cultural practices and values, which they bring in the country. Most of the existing policies and services that research studies have established indicated that immigrant women’s needs tend to be undermined in various quarters, hence causing them various medical issues and risks such as mental issues. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Radtke., L, H., Ateah.,C, Ursel., J. E, Thurston, W., Hampton., M, and Nixon, K (2017). The Complexities of Intimate Partner Violence: Mental Health, Disabilities, and Child Abuse History for White, Indigenous, and Other Visible Minority Canadian Women. First Published November 10, 2017. Research Article: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517741210
In this research article, the authors are simply examining the correlation between intimate partner violence or rather IPV with mental health issues. An important issue in this case is how both issues tend to relate with women’s intersecting race identities and ethnicity. Here, ethnicity can be used in reference to the minority groups of Canadian women including the immigrants who remain a major force especially in modern Canada. To justify some of their thoughts regarding their analysis, the researchers used a Canadian triprovincial study, which included the visible minority, indigenous and the White Canadian women. The indigenous women in this case are the immigrants’ women in Canada who continue to face marginalization from various quarters.
During the study, the researchers established a few demographic differences in the sense that the minority and indigenous groups seemed to experience posttraumatic stress disorders, mental issue and epidemiological depression unlike the other groups such as the whites. The researchers established that mental scales tend to differ depending on the IPV severity and the racial groups thus the immigrants and the local women. Apart from the mental health issues, other issues such as disability among these indigenous groups remained evident. In fact, they were associated with some of the mental health conditions that some of the indigenous women were having. It was therefore concluded that intimate partner violence among the indigenous groups in Canada remains a common trend. Extreme cases mostly results in mental health conditions and physical disabilities among the indigenous and immigrant women in the country.
Thomson, M. S., Chaze, F., George, U., & Guruge, S. (2015). Improving immigrant populations’ access to mental health services in Canada: A review of barriers and recommendations. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 17(6), 1895-1905. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0175-3
In line with Canada’s immigrants’ mental health care access, the authors felt the need to shade more light on the issue and more so the intimate partner violence aspect. The report claims that at least 200,000 immigrants tend to make Canada their home annually. Further report claims that the mental healthcare needs especially for the country’s immigrants continue to grow extensively. The healthy immigrant effect remains an aspect, which recognizes that in as much as immigrants tend to enter Canada when they are mentally fine, their health advantage usually deteriorate after immigration. Random research studies have established that acts of partner violence has mostly contributed to the escalating numbers of women’s mental health issues across Canada. Despite that, studies have initially suggested that most immigrants tend to underutilize services meant for the mentally challenged compared to the Canadians. Ethnic differences in Canada have influenced the provision of mental health services. Major barrier for these differences is the availability of the services to the immigrants. The other barrier relates to cultural incompatibility especially between the healthcare practitioners and the immigrants. Some radicalized immigrants fail to go mental checkups because of stigma related issues that are associated with mental health. Immigrant women and seniors are sometimes reluctant to recognize mental health issues because of stigmatization.
Hyman, I., Forte, T., Mont, J. D., Romans, S., & Cohen, M. M. (2016). The association between length of stay in canada and intimate partner violence among immigrant women. American Journal of Public Health, 96(4), 654-9. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/215086814?accountid=45049
Hyman, Forte, Mont, Romans and Cohen, (2016), in their article are simply examining the pervasiveness of intimate partner violence especially among immigrant women in Canada. In doing this study, the researchers were seeking to establish whether the differences in IPV seemed to be associated with extensive stay in the country (Canada) or other issues are involved. To gather correct facts regarding the study, the researchers analyzed previous data from the General Social Survey. In the process, they also used the weighted logistic regression while examining impacts of lengthy Canadian stay by the immigrants and its effects on IPV. The crude IPV prevalence remained similar among the non-recent immigrant women. More differently, the IPV risk seemed to lower significantly among most of the recent immigrant women as compared to the non-recent immigrant women. Some of the issues, which are closely associated with higher IPV risks, include marital status and age. The results of continuous intimate partner violence in most cases are the different health issues such as mental disability among the immigrant women in marriage. In other words, immigrant women in marriages continue to experience increased intimate partner violence hence making them vulnerable and risk to health issues such as mental problems.
Alaggia, R., Regehr, C., Rishchynsk., G. (2018). Intimate partner violence and immigration laws in Canada: How far have we come? International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. Research Article, https://refugeeresearch.net/wp- content/uploads/2016/05/Alaggia-et-al-2009-Intimate-partner-violence-and- immigration-laws-in-Canada.pdf
Immigrant women in Canada continue to face various barriers while seeking to report and seek help for intimate partner violence. Most of these barriers tend to relate to legal progresses, immigrations laws and policies in which they tend to face because of their immigration status. In this study, the authors state that Canada was a preferred location for the study because of its large immigrant population. Here, the researchers were seeking to identify some of the factors, which impede or facilitate immigrant women from disclosing intimate partner violence in Canada. Qualitative data from the immigrant women in the country tend to reveal that most sponsorship cases tend to breakdown because of intimate partner violence.
The research also revealed that the criteria that is mostly required for feasible immigration application remain unrealistic thus making it impossible for most of the immigrants to meet in domestic abuse situations. Structural and systemic barriers, which they create especially for the abused immigrant women, remain present in some of the immigration policies and laws. The outcome is that most women especially the immigrants tend to stay in abusive relationships for longer period. Longer stays means that they are likely to acquire serious mental health problems. The effects of violence that is always committed against immigrant women usually go beyond various health implications that relate to mental health concerns and other injuries. A previous longitudinal study focusing on exposure to interpersonal violence and mental health status in immigrant women revealed that exposure to IPV was linked with posttraumatic stress disorders, substance abuse and depression.
Government of Canada more than doubles support to survivors of gender-based violence. (2018, Dec 03). PR Newswire Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/2140972836?accountid=45049
In Canada, the government has always remained committed to ending gender-based violence especially among immigrants and some of the locals. Most recently, the Canadian government through the Minister of Status of Women stated that at least $50 million would be used in almost 60 projects that would support gender-based violence survivors and their families. More specifically, funding will support various organizations working with gender-based violence in developing and implementing practices that address survivors of IPT. The government through other organizations established that women violence in Canada remains among the biggest issues in the country. More so, the immigrants to Canada continue to face intimate partner violence, which eventually affect their mental health in some ways. With the hope of ending such plights in the country, the government through its ministry is welcoming investment in the various projects, which would enable some of the community leaders to establish an extensive support and help for the gender-based violence survivors. In other words, the Status of Women Canada feels that a lot should be done in future in a bid to protect the immigrant women from the gender based violence hence the reduction of mental health cases and other injuries that might be caused during the process.
Gerino, Eva., Caldarera, A., Curti, L., Brustia, P., and Rolle, Luca. (2018). Intimate Partner Violence in the Golden Age: Systematic Review of Risk and Protective Factors. Published online 2018 Sep 4. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01595
Canada continues to face increased issues of intimate partner violence especially in modern times. In fact, intimate partner violence is currently identifiable as its top health concern. In as much as the country faces increased cases of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence, immigrant women in Canada remain the most vulnerable individuals to these issues. The scientific research regarding the protective factors and risks relating to intimate partner violence in Canada, and the different findings are yet to be systematized. Therefore, in their article, Gerino, Eva, Caldarera, Curti, Brustia, and Rolle, are aiming to analyzing some of the scientific studies, which tend to investigate the protective and risk factors of intimate partner violence.
In as much as the article fails to focus on the Canadian immigrant’s situation extensively, the article highlights some of the risk factors that come with intimate partner violence especially among couples. From the theoretical frameworks perspectives and the different methodological approaches, the authors manage to present some of the primary conceptual themes regarding the issue. Their result indicate various help-seeking behaviors, social support and the accessibility of various community-based services which also addresses abuse issues as primary protective factors. Most of the risk factors in this case tend to associate with health and economic factors, belong to the ethnic minority groups (immigrants). In terms of health issues, there is the cognitive impairment issue such as trauma and caregiving stress that remains evident after intimate partner violence issue.
Spencer, C., Mallory, A. B., Cafferky, B. M., Kimmes, J. G., Beck, A. R., & Stith, S. M. (2019). Mental health factors and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Violence, 9(1), 1-17.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/vio0000156
In this meta-analysis, the researchers aimed at exploring the connection between physical intimate partner violence and symptoms of health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety and antisocial personality disorder. In other words, the general strength of both mental health issues and IPV were analyzed to establish their correlation. Here, the researchers used a moderator analysis while seeking to compare IPV victimization strengths and its correlation with perpetration. In the same case, a moderator analysis was used to sort the strengths of the females versus the males in situations of intimate partner violence. The results especially from both studies indicated that anxiety, depression, borderline PD and antisocial PS remained significant correlates for IPV perpetration and victimization. On the other hand, PTSDA and anxiety remained stronger correlates for IPV perpetration than acts of victimization. Further results indicated that borderline PD seemed to be a stronger correlate for intimate partner violence compared to victimization whereas PTSD seemed a stronger correlate while comparing IPV victimization to perpetration. Lastly, the researchers established that depression seemed to have a stronger correlate especially for women experiencing IPV victimization unlike their male counterparts. To sum up, it therefore remains evident that there is some connection between intimate partner violence with mental health disorders. Such analysis therefore suits the situation in Canada where the indigenous and more so the immigrants continue to experience mental health issues because of continued intimate partner violence.
References
Alaggia, R., Regehr, C., Rishchynsk., G. (2018). Intimate partner violence and immigration laws in Canada: How far have we come? International Journal of Law and Psychiatry.Research Article, https://refugeeresearch.net/wp- content/uploads/2016/05/Alaggia-et-al-2009-Intimate-partner-violence-and- immigration-laws-in-Canada.pdf
Gerino, Eva., Caldarera, A., Curti, L., Brustia, P., and Rolle, Luca. (2018). Intimate Partner Violence in the Golden Age: Systematic Review of Risk and Protective Factors. Published online 2018 Sep 4. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01595
Government of Canada more than doubles support to survivors of gender-based violence. (2018, Dec 03). PR Newswire Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/2140972836?accountid=45049
Hyman, I., Forte, T., Mont, J. D., Romans, S., & Cohen, M. M. (2016). The association between length of stay in canada and intimate partner violence among immigrant women. American Journal of Public Health, 96(4), 654-9. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/215086814?accountid=45049
Radtke., L, H., Ateah.,C, Ursel., J. E, Thurston, W., Hampton., M, and Nixon, K (2017). The Complexities of Intimate Partner Violence: Mental Health, Disabilities, and Child Abuse History for White, Indigenous, and Other Visible Minority Canadian Women. First Published November 10, 2017. Research Article: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517741210
Spencer, C., Mallory, A. B., Cafferky, B. M., Kimmes, J. G., Beck, A. R., & Stith, S. M. (2019). Mental health factors and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Violence, 9(1), 1-17.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/vio0000156
Thomson, M. S., Chaze, F., George, U., & Guruge, S. (2015). Improving immigrant populations’ access to mental health services in Canada: A review of barriers and recommendations. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 17(6), 1895-1905. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0175-3
Yohani, S., Muster, J., Ndem, A., Cahambers, T., and Pow, V. (2018). A Scoping Review on Intimate Partner Violence in Canada’s Immigrant Communities. First Published September 3, 2018. Research Article, https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018789156