Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2016 Experience with Social Support Systems Among Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Cameroon Ahone Esther-Alice Ngujede Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Public Health Education and Promotion Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Health Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Ahone Ngujede has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Amany Refaat, Committee Chairperson, Public Health Faculty Dr. Jeanne Connors, Committee Member, Public Health Faculty Dr. Earla White, University Reviewer, Public Health Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2016 Abstract Experience with Social Support Systems Among Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Cameroon by Ahone Esther-Alice Ngujede MA, Grambling State University, 2008 BS, University of Buea, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University May 2016 Abstract The southwest and northwest regions of Cameroon have experienced high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). Limited information is available about IPV victims’ experiences with social support systems. This phenomenological study was aimed at investigating IPV victims’ lived experiences with social support systems in Cameroon. Some of these systems are the judicial system, police officers, hospitals and clinics, and domestic violence agencies. The Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) were used to understand how 8 self-identified victims of IPV were able to discuss their lived experiences with social support systems. The research questions addressed women’s experiences with social support systems as victims of intimate partner violence. The study also addressed participants’ willingness to use social support systems again if the systems were made available to them. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews using a purposeful-criterion sample that discussed the themes developed after the interview. The participants were selected with the help of 2 local domestic violence organizations based in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon. Study findings, which were generated via inductive analyses, indicated that victims sought the help of social support systems at least 3 times in hopes of changing their situation but were not satisfied with these systems. The study conveys social change by encouraging the need to educate social support systems in implementing and developing culturally-sensitive programs to eradicate IPV in Cameroon. Experience with Social Support Systems Among Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Cameroon by Ahone Esther-Alice Ngujede MA, Grambling State University, 2008 BS, University of University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University May 2016 Dedication To my extraordinary parents, Bob and Alice. And to my son, my treasure, Jorden. I love you! Acknowledgments I would like to thank Almighty Lord for miraculously seeing me through. I would like to thank my parents-Honorable Bob Ngole Ngujede and Captain Mrs. Alice Elad Ngujede for their infinite support. The Lord did me right when He gave them to me as parents. I am thankful for my son Jorden. As a single parent, I am proud and honored to be his role model. I am grateful for the support of my family especially my siblings, Elad- Ngole, Emade, Ebong, Senge, Mercy, and Ngujede. I would like to thank my American parents-Dr. Martin and Mrs. Jenny Edu for loving me and accepting me into their family. I would like to thank my professors at Walden University who molded me to become a better advocate for social change. I want to especially thank my Chair Dr. Amany Refaat for her outstanding guidance and support. I want to also thank my Committee Member Dr. Jeanne Connors for her exceptional feedback and my University Research Reviewer, Dr. Earla White for her independent feedback. Thank you to my classmates, especially Bakali Mukasa for his professionalism and constant reassurance. I would like to thank my closest circle of friends for supporting me, especially Linda Marazere, John Ige, Francis Anyawu, Orome Golde, Phillip Najeme, Adeley Ngole, Yaya Ekeke, and Stephen Moki. I would also like to thank my colleagues at the University of Texas, Houston especially my boss, Johnathan Leonard, and Diane Wilkins. I would like to thank everyone at Reach Out Cameroon and Hope for the Needy Association for helping me to conduct my study. Finally, I would like to thank the participants in this study. If I could mention all of you by name, I would, but of course I cannot. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................4 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................7 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................12 Research Questions ......................................................................................................13 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................14 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................14 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................16 Definitions of Terms ....................................................................................................16 Assumptions .................................................................................................................18 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................19 Limitations ...................................................................................................................19 Significance..................................................................................................................20 Summary ......................................................................................................................21 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................23 Introduction ..................................................................................................................23 Problem ........................................................................................................................24 Purpose .........................................................................................................................26 Synopsis of Current Literature Relevant to the Study .................................................27 Strategy Used for Literature Review Search ...............................................................28 i Combination of the Search Terms Used ......................................................................29 Description of the Iterative Search Process .................................................................30 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................31 Intimate Partner Violence as a Public Health/Social Problem .....................................34 Effects of Intimate Partner Violence ............................................................................36 Brief History of Cameroon and Women’s Role in Society .........................................39 Incidence and Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence in Cameroon ........................41 Risk Factors of Intimate Partner Violence ...................................................................42 Defining Social Support Systems ................................................................................44 The Role of Social Support Systems ...........................................................................45 Review of Related Studies ...........................................................................................48 The Phenomenology of Lived Experiences .................................................................56 Summary ......................................................................................................................62 Chapter 3: Research Method ..............................................................................................64 Introduction ..................................................................................................................64