Help-seeking behavior of South Asian women in domestic violence: A scoping review

Domestic violence (DV) has serious implications for the welfare of South Asian (SA) women in the United States. Previous studies have identified significantly lower rates of help-seeking among SA women compared to the dominant culture and other cultural groups. However, there are no scoping reviews that summarize the literature to identify strategies for intervention and future research in order to promote faster and larger systemic wide change that is urgently necessary to meet the needs of this vulnerable population. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize empirical studies that explore the socio-cultural factors related to the help-seeking behavior of SA women primarily in the United States. Forty-five English language peer reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. The socio-cultural factors identified in the reviewed studies using a descriptive analytical method with a narrative review are patriarchy, acculturation, socioeconomic status, cultural competency, and immigration status. Implications for research and practice are discussed.