The consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) on the mental health and economic well-being of survivors can be devastating. Economic abuse, a form of emotional abuse in which an intimate partner uses tactics of economic control, is an emerging area of research and practice. However, few studies have explored the impact of economic forms of abuse on the mental health of survivors or the role of economic hardship in this relationship. The current study explored the pathways between economic abuse, economic hardship, and mental health symptomology. Four hundred thirty-five female community college students were randomly selected to participate in a web-based survey containing validated measures of exposure to intimate partner violence, including physical, sexual, and economic abuse, as well as economic hardship, PTSD, and depression. Analysis included bivariate correlations, hierarchical regression analysis, and mediation analysis. Economic abuse was significantly associated with both depression and PTSD symptomology, when controlling for key covariates. Mediational analysis demonstrated that experiences of economic hardship partially mediated the relationship between economic abuse and mental health. These results highlight the impact of economic abuse on the mental health of survivors and well as the importance of services including economic advocacy, education, and direct resources for survivors.

A survivor’s decision to engage with formal services for experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) is influenced by factors at the individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural levels. Understanding factors that facilitate survivors’ choice to seek services could be beneficial to formal service providers including community agencies, health professionals, and the criminal justice system, providing guidance toward the development and implementation of accessible services for survivors of IPV. This systematic review of the literature aims to identify key factors that facilitate survivors’ formal help-seeking. Ten electronic databases were searched for key terms related to help-seeking from formal services and facilitators of formal help-seeking. Articles were included in the review if the studies were conducted in the United States, focused on adults with experiences of IPV, and discussed facilitators of formal help-seeking. A total of 1,155 studies were initially identified, and after screening, 24 were included in the review. Seven factors were identified including provider knowledge, support, accessibility, desire to provide protection and to prevent future violence, and other factors such as knoweldge of and desire for services, policy factors, and personal factors. Findings demonstrate a need for more research on the facilitators of help-seeking among East Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern survivors living in the United States, as well as male-identified, trans, and gender nonconforming survivors. The review also indicates a need for culturally sensitive and accessible services that support survivors and the importance of raising awareness of the services and resources available for survivors.

Over 95% of the refugees from Syria who have resettled in the United States are Muslim. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the role of the Islamic faith in contributing to resiliency among recently resettled refugees from Syria. Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Syrian adults who had arrived in the United States between 3 months and 2 years prior to the study. Findings emphasized the primary role of the Islamic faith in the lives of participants. For participants in this study, identifying as Muslim was an essential part of their identity and served as a source of comfort, strength, pride, and humility. Parents in the study expressed fears that their children would lose their connection to their culture and would grow up to devalue the Islamic faith and traditional religious practices due to their exposure to American values which they viewed less strict regarding dress, alcohol consumption, and faith practices. Understanding the important role that the Islamic faith can have in providing a source of comfort, strength, and empowerment for Syrian refugees, and working to build infrastructure to support and sustain these faith traditions is an essential component of refugee resettlement in the United States.