Methodological Considerations in Conducting Ethnocultrally Sensitive Research on Intimate Partner Abuse and its Multidimensional Consequences.

Increasingly, attention has focused on ethnoracial disparities as causes and correlates of intimate partner abuse (IPA). Research may benefit from conceptualizing the experiences of ethnic minority women through the lenses of cultural, structural, and institutional inequalities expressed as racism, sexism, and oppression. To enhance the study of ethnocultural variation in IPA research and to promote cultural competence, we discuss a range of methodological issues pertinent to conducting ethnoculturally sensitive IPA research. Providing examples and recommendations from research on U.S. women, this paper explores ethnocultural considerations at each step of the research process: (a) conceptualization of the research question, (b) sampling, (c) recruitment and retention, (d) study design, (e) measurement, (f) statistical analysis, (g) interpretation of results, and (h) ethics. Recommendations include greater use of multiethnic samples of battered women from varying nationalities, and more within-group analyses to capture the substantial diversity and resilience observed within samples of battered women of color. Enhanced use of mixed-method designs combining qualitative and quantitative approaches are likely to lead to more nuanced understandings of the ways in which race, class, and culture impact the nature, dynamics, and impact of IPA. More inclusive research questions and ecologically valid methodologies are necessary for developing culturally competent, data driven policies and practices to promote social justice for ethnic minority battered women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]