Bridging the Divide: The Impact of Community-Engaged Partnership on IPV Prevention In Immigrant Communities

Background and Purpose: Although faith leaders play a central role in immigrant communities, research on effective interventions that engage faith leaders in addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) remains limited. Community agencies serving IPV survivors frequently encoun­ter challenges in engaging faith leaders, due to cultural stigma, theological concerns, and a lack of tailored training resources. To promote effective and sustainable IPV prevention and intervention within immigrant communities, it is essential for key community institutions—particularly culturally responsive IPV organizations and immigrant-serving churches—to engage in meaningful collaboration. This study examines two prevention projects conducted in metro Chicago and Washington, D.C., which partnered with two community organizations serving Asian survivors. The study assesses the impact of these projects on participating faith leaders and community agencies involved in the development and implementation of the interventions.

Methods: Both projects were grounded in a robust researcher-practitioner partnership across all phases, including intervention development, project management, and dissemination of evaluation findings. Project 1 aimed to build Korean American (KA) faith leaders’ capacity to prevent IPV and support survivors. The intervention consisted of four virtual case simulation modules (15-20 minutes each) and a comprehensive 100-page resource booklet and was tested among 100 KA faith leaders in an RCT. Case dialogues were collaboratively developed by the researcher-practitioner team to ensure cultural and contextual relevance. Project 2 addressed the limitations of Project 1 by expanding outreach beyond church-attending individuals. This project combined the faith leader virtual case simulation training with a community-wide IPV communication campaign. Evaluation data were collected through two focus groups with faith leaders at each site (N = 14) and one focus group with community agency partners (N = 6) to assess clinical, organizational, and social impact.

Results: Participation in the online simulation training led to a significant increase in faith leaders’ knowledge and self-efficacy related to IPV preven­tion and intervention. Qualitative findings revealed a notable shift in pastoral attitudes - from silence and an emphasis on marital preservation toward active survivor support and efforts to break down longstanding cultural taboos. Faith leaders expressed strong appreciation for newly established relationships with community agencies and reported plans to invite agency partners to their churches to conduct IPV education workshops for congregants. Community agencies similarly reported increased visibility and credibility within their local communities, demonstrated by a rise in unsolicited requests from churches and other community organizations for educational seminars. Following the success of Project 1, one agency converted the project-funded half-time Faith-Based Advocate position into a permanent full-time role. Intervention materials – including virtual case simulations, resource booklets, and communication campaign materials – were institutionalized as ongoing educational and outreach resources for the agencies after project com­pletion.

Conclusion and Implications: These projects demonstrate the effectiveness of researcher-practitioner partnerships in bridging gaps between community agencies and KA faith leaders, fostering a robust macro-level collaboration for IPV prevention. Participatory, collaborative intervention design fostered community ownership, strengthened cross-sector relationships, and produced sustain­able resources with lasting impact on IPV prevention efforts that benefit community partners and the whole community.