Dr. Subadra Panchanadeswaran, Professor in the Adelphi University School of Social Work, and a Senior Scientist with the Social Work Interdisciplinary Research Lab (SWIRL) at USF, and Dr. Manisha Joshi, Associate Professor in USF'S School of Social Work & Associate Director of SWIRL, recently received an Internal grant from Adelphi University ($4,800) to conduct a study titled – "Access and utilization of services by immigrant South Asian female survivors of intimate partner violence: Implications for social work practice, policy and research".
In this study, they will collaborate with the Hindu Family Support Services (HFSS), a non-profit in Tampa, FL to examine how South Asian immigrant women (n=30) in Hillsborough County subjectively define intimate partner violence (IPV), resist and respond to violence, and seek help from informal and formal sources of help. The study will also document women's perceptions of the help they received and the gaps in service provision. Additionally, this study will explore the perspectives of service providers (n=20) who provide support and services to immigrant women and highlight their perceived challenges to service provision especially to immigrant South Asian women survivors of IPV.