This literature review addresses the following areas relevant to this study: background, theory, prevalence and nature of intimate abuse among Latinos, changing gender roles, risk factors, types of abuse, acculturation process, intervention, and conclusion.
Intimate relationship conflict in California Legislature was first defined as a crime in 1945. According to the 1945 definition, domestic violence is: "any husband who willfully inflicts upon his wife corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition. . . is guilty of a felony . . ." (Bugarin, 2002, p. 3). During this time period, domestic violence was viewed as a social problem, which only affected a small population of women. By 1970, cruelty against women was seen as a much broader social problem. In response, the definition for domestic violence was expanded to:
The infliction or threat of physical harm against past or present adult or adolescent female intimate partners, and shall include physical, sexual and psychological abuse against the woman, and is a part of a pattern of assaultive coercive, and controlling behaviors, directed at achieving compliance from or control over, that woman (California Health and Safety Code, as cited by Bugarin, 2002).
Intimate partner conflict continues to be the cause of much harm to women today. Specifically, Bugarin (2002) reported that intimate partner conflict causes "three times as many emergency room visits as car crashes and muggings combined" (p. 3). Further, Bugarin reported that nearly one third of American women (31%) have been physically or sexually abused by a husband or a boyfriend. This makes domestic violence the leading cause of injuries to women ages 15-44 in the United States.
Intimate violence occurs at home, but commonly affects employment, due to harassment from the intimate partner while working, poor work performance due to stress which results in lack of respect and anger from coworkers who compensat...