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Family violence knowledge in culturally diverse communities and organisational preparedness to disseminate information
Author(s) -
Satyen Lata,
Hansen Ashlyn,
Supol Meu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1002/hpja.277
Subject(s) - burmese , domestic violence , preparedness , poison control , suicide prevention , medicine , public relations , environmental health , political science , philosophy , linguistics , law
Issue addressed Family violence presents a significant threat to the physical and psychological health of individuals and communities, with women from culturally diverse groups experiencing an increased risk of exposure to family violence and barriers to accessing support. It is necessary to examine the knowledge of family violence among these communities and their preferred source of knowledge to facilitate successful family violence prevention strategies. Methods Thirty‐one women (19 Indian and 12 Burmese) completed surveys on their knowledge of family violence, while 10 representatives from community organisations completed surveys on their readiness to participate in family violence prevention efforts. This was followed by 54 community organisations disseminating information about family violence through a poster. Results Findings showed that the level of knowledge among culturally diverse communities is variable, with Indian women showing a greater understanding of a range of aspects of family violence compared to Burmese women. Findings also indicated a high degree of preparedness within organisations serving these communities to address family violence. Conclusion The findings from the present study elucidate the state of family violence‐related knowledge amongst the Indian and Burmese communities in a large municipality in Melbourne, Australia, and provide insight into community readiness to diffuse family violence‐related information. This increased understanding could be used to enhance family violence prevention efforts in culturally diverse communities. So what? This study provides justification for the need for educational family violence prevention efforts within the Burmese and Indian communities. It also informs us of the importance of engaging with community organisations to implement family violence prevention strategies.