Should Intimate Partner Violence Agencies in Canada Be Better Equipped with Mental Health Experts and Counselling?

• In Event: Roundtable: Studies on Intimate Partner and Domestic Violence

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) amongst immigrant women in Canada is at an increasing high. Research on IPV and mental health within a Canadian context is rare. This research attempts to reconcile this gap. The presentation explores questions about mental health experiences of immigrant women survivors of IPV in Canada and the lack of “professional” mental health counselling available to these women. Agency Directors are not fully equipped with the skills and/or tools for providing sufficient mental health advice as an expert can. This presentation will also highlight mental health experiences these women faced and their reasons for accessing the agency for mental health assistance. Demographics, IPV experience, family structure, immigration status and English proficiency as it relates to mental health will be discussed. This presentation uses qualitative data based on a sample of 92 immigrant women survivors of IPV in Canada. The research uses an intersectionality perspective that is guided by gender, ethnicity, immigration, linguistic proficiency and race. We will make suggestions for future research on mental health and IPV in Canada as well as policy recommendations.

Authors

• Nawal Ammar, Rowan University

• Amanda Couture-Carron, University of Toronto

• Arshia U Zaidi, University of Ontario Institute of Technology