Understanding Domestic Violence Resource Utilization and Survivor Solutions Among Immigrant and Refugee Women. Introduction to the Special Issue

The articles in this issue of the "Journal of Interpersonal Violence" were generated using community-based participatory action research to explore how different cultural communities interpret and respond to DV. This partnership began in 1999 and involved Public Health?Seattle and King County, several community-based agencies, and researchers at the University of Washington. Through funding support from the National Institute of Justice, this partnership conducted formative qualitative research to understand how cultural contexts affect women?s responses to DV in nine communities in Seattle. In the spirit of community-based participatory research, the researchers and community agencies were implemented an approach to research that would have promise in leading to community change. In addition, previous research on local relationships between communities of color and research institutions indicated that community members wanted to see tangible benefits from participating in research beyond simply documenting problems in their communities.