Culturally sensitive early intervention and prevention group for adolescent latina girls between the ages of 15-17 who have witnessed intimate partner violence in their family of origin

The current understanding of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the Latino population as a whole is relatively limited and even less is known about IPV among adolescent Latinos as they are not well represented in adolescent dating violence research. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2013), the Latino population has increased by more than 50% since 1990 and is currently the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the United States. Thus, the well-being of Latinos is of great importance to the general health of the United States. Given that dolescent females are less likely to seek refuge from their male partners beating if they have had witnessed their mothers as victims of abuse, this project aims to provide early intervention and prevention services to adolescent Latina youth that are currently not readily available for adolescents, specifically in mental health agencies that only provide IPV services to mother victims of IPV. This project is an equally balanced program for adolescent Latina youth who identify deeply with the Latino community and also the American culture they too grew up in as a result of their parents immigration from their country of origin to the land of opportunity. It is a unique group that offers necessary services with a preventative approach to Latina youth during adolescence, an important window of opportunity to thwart the perpetuation of violence and abuse. Most importantly, it takes into account cultural factors unique to her experiences in a culture that due to a lack of IPV understanding, places her at higher risks to continue the cycle of IPV.