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For victim-survivors of intimate partner violence IPV , receiving help from formal services such as specialist family violence, health, or criminal justice services can be critical for their safety and well-being. Previous research has found cross-cultural differences in the rates of help-seeking behavior, with women from non-Anglo-Saxon communities less likely to seek formal help than Anglo-Saxon populations.
This qualitative meta-synthesis has integrated qualitative evidence to examine the relationship between specific cultural norms and formal service engagement for female victim-survivors of IPV from non-Anglo-Saxon communities.
A comprehensive search of seven databases was conducted for peer-reviewed articles published between to May , in addition to searching gray literature. Thirty-five articles met the criteria for inclusion, representing 1, participants from 20 cultural groups.
Based on a thematic synthesis approach, five key themes that captured specific cultural norms that influence formal service engagement were identified: 1 gender roles and social expectations, 2 community recognition and acceptance of abuse, 3 honor-based society, 4 the role of religion, and 5 cultural beliefs and attitudes toward formal services. These findings have important implications for responses to family violence, particularly concerning family violence education for non-Anglo-Saxon ethnically diverse communities and best-practice strategies to improve the cultural relevancy of formal service providers.
