Barriers to access intimate partner violence services in female Romanian immigrants in Spain: A Delphi study

Immigrant women may be at higher risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) and may seek specialized services less frequently than other populations. In Spain, Romanian origin foreigners comprise the second-highest proportion among immigrant population. This study aimed to identify, from the perspective of experts, (1) the main barriers faced by immigrant women of Romanian origin in accessing specialized services for IPV in Spain; and (2) the most useful strategies to combat these barriers. A Delphi study was conducted with a panel of 23 experts. The coefficient r(WG) was calculated to established agreement among participants. The results showed 58 barriers and 31 strategies with high agreement among the experts (r(WG) >= 0.80). Barriers in access to services that were considered to be highly influential included: having been in the host country for a short time; lack of language proficiency; job insecurity; difficulty with family-work reconciliation; and fear of the social consequences for help-seeking. The strategies considered most useful were: facilitating access to the job market and decent housing; promoting a social support network; translating material into Romanian; and increasing training among professionals. The findings offer guidelines for the improvement of the accessibility of specialized services to immigrant women of Romanian origin.