Assistant Professor Noelle St. Vil and co-authors publish article, "A Qualitative Study of Survival Strategies Used by Low-Income Black Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence"

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Noelle St. Vil and co-authors on the publication of their article, "A Qualitative Study of Survival Strategies Used by Low-Income Black Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence," in Social Work.

St. Vil, N. M., Sabri, B., Nwokolo, V., Alexander, K. A., & Campbell, J. C. (2016). A qualitative study of survival strategies used by low-income black women who experience intimate partner violence. Social Work 2016. doi: 10.1093/sw/sww080

Abstract:

Women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are often portrayed as helpless victims. Yet many women who experience IPV implement strategies to help them survive the abuse. This qualitative study sought to explore the survivor strategies used by low-income black women who experience IPV. Authors used a semistructured interview guide to survey 26 survivors who reported being in an IPV relationship in the past two years. Thematic analysis revealed three types of survivor strategies used by low-income black women: (1) internal (use of religion and becoming self-reliant), (2) interpersonal (leave the abuser or fight back), and (3) external (reliance on informal, formal, or both kinds of sources of support). This article informs social work practitioners of the strategies used by low-income black women in surviving IPV so that practitioners can develop interventions that support these strategies.