Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Magdeline C. Aagard

Abstract

Culture and social structures are factors in the way people view or think of intimate partner violence (IPV). A significant gap exists in the current literature regarding whether changes exist in IPV experience because of continuous and direct contact between individuals from different cultural origins. Despite the increasing emphasis on the social and structural determinants of IPV-related behaviors, research and interventions lag on how people view IPV while they live in their native country and when they migrate and are exposed to a different culture and social structure. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to explore the IPV experiences of 12 Nigerian men living in New York City since migrating from Nigeria to the United States. Berger and Lukemann's social construct of reality theory and the Lévi-Strauss culture theory of knowledge were used. The purpose was to understand the changes in Nigerian men's experience of IPV from when they lived in Nigeria to live in the United States. The data collection was through semi structured interviews of 12 Nigerian men ages 30 to 60 years who lived in the United States and became acculturated to society. The data analysis method was hand coding in which I looked for the similarities and differences in viewpoints on IPV since emigrating to the United States. The study's themes included emotional aberration, secondhand trauma, machismo and acculturation, and the understanding of IPV. The results significantly contribute to the existing literature and could enhance social change initiatives by tailoring better IPV support interventions that can positively affect health outcomes of Nigerians living in New York City.

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