Abstract
Aims: Intimate partner violence (IPV) rates in the Arab American community are high,
and there are gaps in the understanding of young adults’ perspectives on IPV and its
prevention. The aims of this study are to describe Arab American young adults’ perspectives on the design of IPV prevention programmes and to document and explore
their understanding and experiences with IPV.
Design: This exploratory study was part of a larger community-based participatory
mixed-method study (QUAL-quan) amongst Arabs in Chicago and focused on young
adult participants (18–25 years).
Methods: Participants (n = 44) completed an IPV survey about IPV perpetration and
victimization, dating violence norms, conflict management skills, gender stereotyping,
and belief in the need for help. From four focus groups (22 participants), we explored
Arab American young adults’ perspectives on IPV prevention programme development.
Results: Participants supported the adaptation and development of a youth-centred
IPV prevention intervention that is community-based, culturally informed, and inclusive of multiple Arab community stakeholders. The survey results indicated multiple
experiences with psychological and physical dating violence victimization (76.3% and
47.2%) and perpetration (62.2% and 27%).
Conclusion: Arab American young adults in Chicago are exposed to high rates of IPV.
Community-based participatory approaches are needed to develop IPV prevention
interventions that centre community needs.
Impact: Intimate partner violence is a significant public health problem; nearly 1 in
4 women have experienced IPV at some point in their life, and about 70% of those
experiencing IPV, experience their first victimization before the age of 25. Arab
American young adults experience high rates of IPV victimization and perpetration, requiring kritis attention. Participants proposed various community-based
strategies to develop IPV prevention programmes that include multiple community
stakeholders. Community-based organizations and researchers, schools and religious
institutions could establish collaborations to ensure the adaptation and development
of community-informed IPV prevention programmes