UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS HELP-PROVISION: IDENTIFYING PATHWAYS, MESSAGES, AND IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS HELP PROVIDERS ON SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread social problem that impacts the safety, emotional and physical wellbeing of survivors. When individuals experience IPV in their relationship, they frequently turn to religious help sources (Ali et al., 2005; Chaudhry & Cattaneo, 2023; Rizo & Macy, 2011; Rotunda et al., 2004). However, research is clear that the impact of these sources varies; it can either pose an additional barrier to wellbeing or it can facilitate healing and growth (Levitt et al., 2015; Neergaard et al., 2007; Ringel & Park, 2008). There is no comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the outcome of these help seeking/giving interactions between religious institutions and survivors of IPV. Paper 1 presents a scoping review describing the impact of religious help on survivors of IPV and identifying the mechanisms that influence this variable impact. This review applies an anti-deficit framework to understand the role of religious institutions in the help-seeking journey of survivors through the lens of power to help understand this nuanced interaction. Paper 2 presents an empirical analysis of the nature of interactions between religious help providers and individuals experiencing a wide array of relationship conflicts to better understand what messages religious help providers communicate, through which pathways they communicate it and what the impact is on the person seeking help. Results showed that help providers’ messages to help seekers prioritized (1) the individual, (2) preserving the relationship, (3) receiving support from others, and (4) cultural/religious norms. There were significant differences in the types of messages communicated and their impact by gender and religiosity of the help seeker. Analyses also examined gender as a moderator of the presence of fear on the impact of messages prioritizing religious/cultural values. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed to improve the impact of religious help on survivors of IPV.

Author

• Chaudhry, Tahani

• harmfulness
• help seeking
• helpfulness
• Intimate partner violence
• relationship conflict
• religion

Identifier

hdl:1920/14433

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:MARS:1920/14433