UPDATE (May 27, 2010) : Lorena Garcia is now an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences.)

Latinas residing longer in the United States are more willing to recognize and speak about the abuse they experience, says a UC Davis researcher of domestic violence.

Because recent arrivals from Central and South America are both more reserved and less willing to recognize the abuse by their intimate partner programs for Latinos need to be sensitive to the diverse levels of adaptation to American culture, says Lorena García, a public health epidemiologist and a postdoctoral researcher in the Chicana/o Studies Program at UC Davis.

Health outcomes for Latinos can be predicted by the length of stay in the Unites States, explains García, who conducted a study on domestic violence among Latinos at UCLA.

The term "abuse" was not used in the questionnaire to minimize the fear, Garcia says. Instead, women were asked specific questions, such as "In this year, has your partner kicked, pushed or threatened you?"

This study indicates the need for a distinct strategy in order to prevent domestic abuse, especially for first generation Latinas, García says. The study suggests providing education that includes Latino cultural contexts will better convey messages of prevention and intervention. Garcia also suggests that such messages could be inserted in Spanish-language soap operas that can reach the entire family.