A Comparative Analysis of Domestic Violence Shelter Staff Perceptions Regarding Barriers to Services in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States

• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X17739559
• Date: 01 August 2018
• Published date: 01 August 2018
• Author: Jonathan A. Grubb,Lisa R. Muftić
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X17739559

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2018, Vol. 62(11) 3278 –3297

© The Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X17739559

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Article

A Comparative Analysis of

Domestic Violence Shelter

Staff Perceptions Regarding

Barriers to Services in Bosnia

and Herzegovina and the

United States

Jonathan A. Grubb1 and Lisa R. Muftić2

Abstract

Service provision for domestic violence (DV) survivors has been a long-standing staple

of shelters in the United States. Although shelter services provide numerous benefits

for survivors, barriers tied to acquisition remain a pressing concern when combatting

DV. Nevertheless, there has been minimal research exploring barriers to service

acquisition on a cross-national level. As such, the current research cross-nationally

examines perceptions of shelter staff regarding acquisition barriers as well as the

effectiveness of local agencies to meet survivor needs and differences in populations

served in the United States (specifically Texas) as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Data collection stemmed from self-report surveys originally constructed in English

and translated into Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian. Results underscored differences

between populations served, perceptions of local agencies assisting survivors of DV,

and barriers tied to cultural and financial concerns. Implications, limitations, and

future directions are also discussed.

Keywords

Bosnia and Herzegovina, barriers, domestic violence, comparative, service provision

1Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, USA

2Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jonathan A. Grubb, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia

Southern University, 1360 Southern Drive, Statesboro, GA 30460-1000, USA.

Email: JGrubb@georgiasouthern.edu

739559IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X17739559International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyGrubb and Muftić

research-article2017

Grubb and Muftić 3279

Introduction

Domestic violence (DV) shelters have functioned as an important outlet for survivors

to access a multitude of services for a variety of different needs (Bennett, Riger,

Schewe, Howard, & Wasco, 2004). These services have been relatively expansive and

commonly included emergency shelter, case management, individual and group coun-

seling, legal advocacy, medical and mental health advocacy, transitional housing, sup-

port groups, as well as outreach and education on DV. Empirical assessments of shelter

services have been linked to increased levels of confidence, self-esteem, hope about

the future, safety, knowledge of services, and generally a higher quality of life for

survivors (e.g., Lyon, Bradshaw, & Menard, 2011).

Literature has also underscored numerous issues tied to the acquisition of services

for survivors. One of the most pressing issues encountered by survivors has been bar-

riers to obtaining services. Barriers to service have been linked to family members

(e.g., fear that the abuser might find out or that the family dissuades the survivor from

seeking help), finances (e.g., lack of transportation or child care), culture (e.g., unable

to speak the native language), and service providers (e.g., survivor perceptions of inef-

fectiveness or staff being emotionally unavailable) (e.g., Briones-Vozmediano, La

Parra, & Vives-Cases, 2015; Burman & Chantler, 2005; Fugate, Landis, Riordan,

Naureckas, & Engel, 2005; Raj & Silverman, 2002).

Recent inquiry has begun to address the impact of acquisition barriers for ethnic

and religious minorities as well as immigrant populations (e.g., Ahmed, Reavey, &

Majumdar, 2009; Briones-Vozmediano et al., 2015; Crandall, Senturia, Sullivan, &

Shiu-Thornton, 2005; Kulwicki, Aswad, Carmona, & Ballout, 2010; Raj & Silverman,

2002). Immigrant survivors face additional and unique barriers, including minimal

knowledge about appropriate services and threats of deportation by the abuser as a

method of control (Burman & Chantler, 2005).

Due to a gap in research on cross-national barriers to service acquisition, little

information is currently present as to whether barriers might be similarly problematic

across different geographic locations and how nuanced characteristics of these loca-

tions might shape perceptions of barriers. The current research seeks to fill this gap

through the examination of cross-national perceptions held by DV shelter employees

serving survivors of DV in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and one state in the United

States, Texas. Specific attention centers on barriers encountered by survivors during

the acquisition of services and on differences in respondent, shelter, and survivor char-

acteristics as well as on local responses to survivors’ needs. Prior to outlining specifics

of this study, an overview is provided for service provision barriers and DV shelter

movements in BiH and the United States.

Barriers to Service Acquisition Encountered by Survivors

Although the value of assistance provided by DV shelters has been documented (e.g.,

Sullivan, 2012), barriers encountered by survivors remain a unique and problematic

aspect of service provision. At their core, barriers limit access to services due to a