Intimate Partner Violence and Resilience: A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Latinx Women College Students Using the Resilience Portfolio Model

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem on college campuses. The effects of IPV on the survivor can affect academic performance, persistence, and success. With the increase in the number of Latinx women enrolling in college and their unique cultural factors, it is critical to understand their experiences of IPV. The field is shifting away from a unilateral focus on the treatment of IPV towards a greater understanding of the protective and resilience factors that support the individual in overcoming adversity. The Resilience Portfolio Model (RPM; Grych et al., 2015) provides a solid framework for studying the effects of IPV on Latinx college women. A total of 12 Latinx women engaged in their undergraduate degree studies were interviewed. Conventional qualitative content analysis and Spradley’s (1979) chart, which is used in qualitative research to help systematically analyze, organize, and visualize data, helped facilitate our understanding, categorization, and identification of overarching themes. In line with the RPM, two themes emerged: assets and resources. Implications of the findings are discussed.