Experience of Sexual Violence Among Women of Mexican Heritage Raised in the United States

Abstract

Sexual violence against women is a significant public health crisis that is understudied among Mexican American communities. Yet, there has been little attention directed to sociocultural factors that shape conceptualizations of and responses to sexual violence among Mexican American women. Guided by an integrative contextual framework, this qualitative study aimed to expand knowledge of how second generation Mexican American women conceptualize, experience, and respond to sexual violence. Semistructured interviews focused on conceptualizations of sexual violence, socialization concerning gender, sex, and sexual violence, experiences, and impact of sexual violence, coping, and help-seeking were conducted with 16 women between 20 and 38 years of age (M = 27.13). The interview data, analyzed using qualitative conventional content analysis, revealed four broad domains: (a) implicit and explicit messages about sexuality and sexual violence, (b) psychological consequences of sexual violence, (c) barriers to disclosing violence and seeking help, and (d) sources of resilience and healing. Findings indicated that conceptualizations of sexual violence and coping were influenced by complex interactions among several sociocultural contexts, including families, religious and ethnic communities, and the mainstream U.S. context.