Abstract
This study assessed perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV) among female Asian American (n = 29) and White American ( n = 72) mental health professionals to determine the predicting power of ethnic match and racism. A total of 101 participants were recruited from: (1) the Californian Psychological Association listserv, (2) the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association listserv, (3) University of La Verne Graduate students, and (4) Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were 18 years of age and older, identified as an Asian American or White American female, had a history of a long-term relationship, and possessed a degree in mental health. Participants completed the study online, through the Qualtrics website, where the study was featured. Participants were randomly presented with one of two manipulated vignettes, depicting an IPV scenario between, either a heterosexual White American same-ethnic couple or a heterosexual, interracial White American/Asian American couple. The perpetrator was a white male in both conditions. Participants answered questions pertaining to attributions of responsibility, punishment, revictimization rates and victim response in addition to completing a racism scale. Results show that ethnic mismatch (participant and victim were of different ethnic groups) was a significant predictor of perceptions of revictimization rates. The majority of participants viewed psychotherapy as beneficial for both parties. Clinical implications show that biases toward Asian American and White American victims of IPV exist among Asian American and White American female mental health professionals, which could impact the services provided. Limitations and future directions are presented.