Empowerment Beyond Trauma: Exploring Pathways to Agency and Resilience Among Female Visible Minority Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Deo, Alisha
Issue Date
2025-09
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
intimate-partner violence , empowerment , visible-minority women , resilience , self-efficacy , intersectionality , trauma-informed care , gender-based violence , cultural stigma
Alternative Title
Abstract
Researchers have often examined empowerment in the context of intimate-partner violence (IPV) through the lens of trauma and clinical interventions, with less attention paid to the strengths-based experiences of female visible-minority survivors. This capstone research project is an exploration of the following question: “How do cultural, systemic, and personal influences both constrain and contribute to the empowerment of female visible-minority survivors of IPV?” Through a comprehensive literature review grounded in intersectional feminist theory and guided by Cattaneo and Goodman’s (2015) empowerment process model, the author synthesised recent scholarly findings on IPV, resilience, and empowerment. The key themes include cultural stigma, systemic and legal barriers, the role of social supports, personal resilience, and empowerment-based models in clinical settings. The findings reveal that empowerment is a fluid, nonlinear process shaped by both internal beliefs and access to culturally adapted resources. This research highlights the importance of culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and empowerment-centred supports to help survivors rebuild their identity and independence. Clinical implications include the adoption of intersectionality-informed, empowerment-focused therapeutic frameworks and the expansion of community supports such as transition homes, legal advocacy, and mental-health services. By shifting the narrative from victimisation to survivorship, this study offers valuable insights for clinicians, policy makers, and community organisations who are working to promote resilience and agency among marginalised survivors of IPV.