Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

I propose to examine the extent to which immigrant status and neighborhood factors are associated with the likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV), and whether this association is related to social isolation. Recent studies have demonstrated that compared to native-born residents, immigrant women are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence. This kind of domestic abuse is strongly related to social isolation (Gelles, 1997): The more social isolated a family, the greater the risks that women experience intimate partner violence. I propose to use the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, with social disorganization theory as the theoretical framework, to examine both individual- and neighborhood-level predictors of partner violence, and assess whether any disproportionate risk faced by immigrant women is related to social isolation. Past studies have mostly focused on the individual-level indicators that contribute to social isolation and intimate partner violence. However, some recent studies show that contextual factors have mediated influence on this kind of “behind-door” violence. More specifically, neighborhoods with greater concentration of immigrants appear to have lower levels of partner violence, which has been attributed to strong social ties and shared cultural value (Emily & Michael, 2010). Similarly, greater residential stability of immigrants within neighborhoods may reduce partner violence by mediating the social isolation effect on female immigrants. Therefore, the influence of neighborhood context should be considered in research about intimate partner violence, providing a perspective not found in individual-level analyses.

More specifically, this study attempts to answer the following questions regarding the likelihood of partner violence:

• How do neighborhood characteristics, including immigrant concentration and residential stability, predict the likelihood of intimate partner violence?
• Whether and how this association relates to social isolation?
• Whether the likelihood of intimate partner violence is different among three types of immigrant couples (women are immigrants, men are immigrants, and both sides of couples are immigrant)?
• Whether effects of neighborhood factors on intimate partner violence are different between native and immigrants in the neighborhoods in which they reside?
• Are the individual-level factors of intimate partner violence conditioned by the neighborhood-level predictors?

Key constructs for this study include: IPV, nativity, tract immigrant concentration, residential stability, and social support. This analysis will differ from previous studies by incorporating individual, couple and neighborhood predictors, and a focus on immigration, of the likelihood of intimate partner violence in its focus on immigration. The FFCWS is the most suitable one for this study considering three reasons. First, the FFCWS data includes data on both partners, which is available for me to examine couple data, even for couples who have broken up. Second, the FFCWS covers tract data, making neighborhood-level indicators examination available. Third, the measurement of social support will be accurate because of its detailed and comprehensive measurement in the FFCWS. Further, I want to address the gap in research regarding the role of social support as a possible mediating factor of the risk of intimate partner violence.