Fighting Against Intimate Partner Violence With Hairstylists: A Pilot Study of Korean Immigrants in New York City

This study aims to explore the potential role of hairstylists in helping intimate partner violence (IPV) victims in the Korean immigrant communities using a cross-sectional survey design that includes open- and close-ended survey questions. In all, 47 Korean hair salon stylists were surveyed on their experience with their clients related to IPV. The findings of this study reveal that a high percentage of clients disclosed their and their friends' IPV victimization to the hair salon stylists. Some of the hair salon stylists' characteristics, such as years of working and the length of residence in the United States, were statistically associated with IPV disclosure among their clients. Most hair salon stylists were willing to help their clients in general, but they were not well-prepared to help IPV victims due to a lack of resources and knowledge. We conclude that hair salons have a great potential to increase IPV-related knowledge in immigrant communities (including the Korean community) and help IPV victims pending appropriate training aimed at improving their knowledge and competencies regarding IPV identification and intervention.