What works to prevent and respond to intimate partner violence among refugees?

Evidence Summary
April 2021

A variety of interventions may be effective in preventing or responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) among refugees.

Strong evidence supports the effectiveness of IPV prevention and response interventions that: consider the unique contexts of refugees and immigrants, engage with community members, and are tailored according to participants’ lived experiences, needs, and abilities.
There is strong support for the effectiveness of group interventions among immigrant Latinas. There is suggestive support for this intervention among other immigrant and refugee groups.
Moderate and suggestive evidence support the short-term effectiveness of dating violence prevention groups for some refugee adolescents.
Evidence suggests that men’s groups may have beneficial effects for IPV perpetrators.
Evidence suggests that family therapy may be a helpful response for some refugee groups. This is an area requiring further research.
Refugee service providers, including community-based organizations, should collaborate with local IPV prevention/intervention providers to develop culturally tailored interventions.

Websites and Databases	Population Terms	Methodology Terms	Target Problem Terms
Campbell Collaboration Cochrane Collaboration Mathematica Policy Research Evidence Aid Urban Institute Migration Policy Institute HHS OPRE ASSIA Social Services Abstracts Social Work Abstracts PsycInfo	refugee OR immigrant OR “unaccompanied minor” OR asylee OR “temporary protected status” OR “victims of traffick” OR “traffick victims” OR T-Visa OR U-Visa OR Cuban OR Haitian OR Amerasian	evaluation OR impact OR program OR intervention OR policy OR project OR train* OR therapy OR treatment OR counseling OR workshop OR review OR meta-analysis OR synthesis	“intimate partner violence” OR “domestic violence” ”

Relevant Study	Type of Study	Strength of Evidence	Direction of Evidence
Interventions to reduce adverse health outcomes resulting from manifestations of gender bias amongst immigrant populations: a scoping review	Systematic review	Strong	Positive impact
Intimate partner violence prevention and intervention group-format programs for immigrant Latinas: a systematic review.	Systematic review	Strong	Positive impact
Examining the preliminary efficacy of a dating violence prevention program for Hispanic adolescents.	Impact evaluation	Moderate	Inconclusive or mixed impact
“Thank You, Sorry, Love”(TSL) Therapy With North Korean Refugee Women: A Pilot Study.	Suggestive evidence	Suggestive	Positive impact
“En el grupo tomas conciencia (In group you become aware) Latino immigrants” satisfaction with a culturally informed intervention for men who batter.	Suggestive evidence	Suggestive	Positive impact
A pilot study of a teen dating violence prevention program with Karen refugees.	Suggestive evidence	Suggestive	Positive impact
Strengthening What Works: Preventing Intimate Partner Violence in Immigrant and Refugee Communities	Suggestive evidence	Suggestive	Positive impact

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