The Engagement Barriers Encountered Among Females from Rural Religiously Strict Microcultures of the United States in Healthcare Provider Screening for Non-Physical Intimate Partner Violence

Introduction: Females from religiously strict microcultures have inherent barriers that exist when screening for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Rural communities in the United States have higher populations of strict religious backgrounds that shelter abusers within their power-imbalanced microcultures. Existing research behind the barriers to healthcare professional’s IPV screening of this population is lacking. This study seeks to identify these barriers and improve healthcare providers’ knowledge of this microculture for future enhanced understanding and screening of this vulnerable population group. Myra Levine’s Conservation Model theory with the principles of adaptation, intervention for the protection of the patient, and the conservation of energy for the patient to return to a homeostasis of health was used as a framework for this research.

Methods: Voluntary purposeful sampling with subsequent snowball sampling were employed in this qualitative study. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter, anonymous data were collected utilizing Qualtrics. ATLAS.ti was used in data analysis.

Results: Defining abuse is necessary prior to screening this population for IPV. Cultural mores and a lack of education concerning what constitutes abuse are barriers in screening these women. Taking time to develop a therapeutic and safe provider/patient relationship will aid in IPV screening. The most significant cultural mores reported that hinder accurate screening for IPV includes patriarchal teachings, gender discrimination, and the propensity for these microcultural churches to shelter abusers within their community and congregation.

Conclusion: Nurses should incorporate microcultural awareness, cultural humility, adequate patient IPV education, and therapeutic communication into their nursing practice screening for IPV. This will assist in greater accuracy when screening for IPV among this vulnerable population.