COUV ACTES - Psychologie communautaire

Community Psychology: Common Values, Diverse PracticesTheoretically-, empirically- and community-based intimatepartner violence prevention program in an immigrantcommunityMieko Yoshihama 1BackgroundIn the United States, the population of foreign-born individuals is steadily growing; they currently make up 12.6%of the nation’s population, up from 7.9% in 1990 (Camarota, 2007). The Asian population is the fastest-growingminority group in the United States. Despite the population increase, research on intimate partner violence (IPV,also known as domestic violence) among immigrants, Asians in particular, remains limited. This limitation, in turn,makes it difficult to develop empirically-informed IPV prevention and intervention programs for immigrantpopulations. Analyses of reported homicide cases have consistently documented an overrepresentation of Asians(Yoshihama & Dabby, 2009). For example, 31% of women killed in IPV-related homicides 1993-97 in California’sSanta Clara County were Asian, although Asians comprised only 17.5% of the county’s population. Of womenand children killed in IPV-related homicides in Massachusetts in 1991, 13% were Asian, although Asiansrepresented only 2.4% of the state’s population. The higher IPV-related homicide rates among Asians call forurgent prevention efforts.The Shanti ProjectTo address this gap in research and prevention programs, we developed and implemented a theoretically-,empirically- and community-based IPV prevention program in an Asian Indian immigrant community in the MetroDetroit Area of the State of Michigan. Because of the enormous socio-cultural variations within the Asian or AsianIndian population group, we chose to work with a specific ethnic group of Asian Indians, Gujaratis, who camefrom the western region of India and have their own language (Gujarati). The campaign called, The ShantiProject, builds on the notion of shanti (harmony and peace), a cherished value and strength of the Gujaratis.Gujaratis are one of the largest subgroups of the Asian Indian population in the nation and region. They are oftenregarded by other Indian groups as a “pioneer” in achieving socioeconomic prosperity. Our decision to focus onthe Gujarati community reflected a recognition of their leadership position. Furthermore, the Gujaratis uphold astrong value of nonviolence, as practiced by fellow Gujarati, Mahatma Gandhi. Building on this value, we hopedto develop an IPV prevention program that is grounded in the community’s strengths and consistent with itssociocultural context. In the fall of 2005, we began working with a small group of interested community membersand leaders to develop a communications campaign to prevent IPV. The campaign used a combination of mass1Ph.D. Professor - University of Michigan School of Social Work1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106 USATEL 1-734-647-6255 - Email miekoy@umich.edu157