Cultural Beliefs and Service Utilization by Battered Arab Immigrant Women

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between cultural beliefs and the utilization of services among Arab immigrant women. All participants ( N = 67) reported at least one act of partner abuse resulting in a consultation with various formal services. Significant correlations were found between the holding of traditional attitudes toward gender in general and wife battering in particular by the women and the utilization of formal mental ( r = .32, p = < .001), social ( r = .29, p < .05), and legal ( r = .38, p = < .001) services. The study's limitations, policy implications, and the impacts of 9/11 on the Arab immigrant community and on their use of services are discussed.