Professional discourses on intimate partner violence: implication for care of immigrant women in Spain

Objective: 1) to examine the discourses of professionals involved in the care of female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), with emphasis on how they describe the immigrant women, the perpetrators and their own responsibility of care; and 2) to compare these discourses with the other professions involved in caring for these women (social services, associations and police and justice). Methods: Qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 43 professionals from social services, associations and the police and judicial systems. A discourse analysis was carried out to identify interpretive repertoires about IPV, immigrant women and their aggressors, their culture and professional practices. Results: Four interpretive repertoires emerged from professional discourses: "Cultural prototypes of women affected by IPV", "Perpetrators are similar regardless of their culture of origin", "Are victims credible and the perpetrators responsible?" and "Lack of cultural sensitivity of professionals in helping immigrant women in abusive situations". These repertoires correspond to preconceptions that professionals construct about affected women and their perpetrators, the credibility and responsibility they attribute to them and the interpretation of their professional roles. Conclusions: The employment of IPV-trained cultural mediators in the services responsible for caring for the female victims, together with cultural training for the professionals, will facilitate the provision of culturally sensitive care to immigrant female victims of intimate partner violence. (C) 2016 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.