Personal and Environmental Predictors of Depression Among Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Comparison of Immigrant and Israeli-Born Women

Tehila Refaeli, Drorit Levy, Anat Ben-Porat, Rachel Dekel, Haya Itzhaky

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

In the present study, ecological theory was used as a basis for predicting depression among women who survive intimate partner violence (IPV). The predictors examined in the study derived from three ecological systems: the microsystem (background variables and frequency of the violence), the ontogenic system (personal resources), and the mesosystem (support resources). One hundred twenty-five women who immigrated from the Former Soviet Union and 149 Israeli-born Jewish women filled in questionnaires when they entered shelters for victims of IPV. The research findings indicate that background variables, including immigration, did not contribute significantly to the women’s depression. Frequency of violence contributed slightly to depression, whereas the women’s sense of mastery and social support contributed most significantly. The results highlight the need to strengthen these resources when women are in shelters, and to conduct further research to determine whether these results also hold true for women who receive services for prevention of violence in the community.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1487-1511
Number of pages25
JournalJournal of Interpersonal Violence
Volume34
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2016.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The study was supported by the Israel Ministry of Immigrant Absorption.

FundersFunder number
Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption

    Keywords

    • depression
    • ecological model and cultural contexts
    • immigration
    • intimate partner violence
    • sense of mastery
    • shelters
    • social support

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