Other Titles

Personal Narratives of Iranian Immigrant Women Who Decided to Stay in Abusive Relationships [Title Slide]

Abstract

Immigration has become a reality in most parts of the world for different reasons. Iranian immigrants ranked sixth in acquiring Canadian citizenship and eighth in being admitted as permanent residents (Bains, 2024; Risdon, 2024). Most immigrants experience some degree of loss and disassociation after being dislocated. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) impacts people of all genders, ages and socioeconomic, racial, educational, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds; however,women experience this form of gender-based violence at much higher rates, most often perpetrated by men (Statistics Canada, 2023 & 2025). IPV presents a significant public health challenge affecting diverse demographic groups, including immigrant women (Bains, 2024; Risdon, 2024). These experiences affect their mental health, social cohesion, and general well-being — all of which are key to maintaining the normal process of integration into the host country and mainstream society. In this qualitative study, we explore the life experiences as narrated by Iranian immigrant and refugee women who lived in intimate relationships and the reasons for staying with their abusive partners for a while. We used narrative inquiry with an intersectional feminist lens. Narrative inquiries are defined as interwoven processes of living, telling, retelling, and reliving stories (Clandinin, 2022). We also believe it is important to use intersectionality, as it acknowledges that many intersecting identities and factors impact and shape women’s experiences of IPV and helps us better understand their journeys (Fseifes & Etowa, 2024; Collins, 2015; Crenshaw, 2013). We conducted 17 unstructured face-to-face interviews and a focus group with the first generation of Iranian immigrant women who were adults (at least 18 years old) and immigrated to Canada in past 10 years. Data was analyzed with respect to gender and an intersectional lens. Four overarching themes emerged: getting stuck on a treadmill, lacking confidentiality and trust in the system, keeping my face and honour, and coming out stronger. In conclusion, listening to immigrant women's voices in narrated life experiences can provide an opportunity for Canadian healthcare and institutions to create programs and supporting services tailored to immigrant women’s needs, thereby improving their well-being and mental health.

Notes

References:

Bains S. (2024). Surge in Canadian citizenship uptake by Indians in 2024. Immigration News Canada. https://immigrationnewscanada.ca/surge-in-canadian-citizenship-by-indians/#t

Clandinin, D.J. (2022). Engaging in Narrative Inquiry (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003240143

Collins, P. H. (2015). Intersectionality’s Definitional Dilemmas. Annual Review of Sociology, 41, 1–20. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24807587

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039

Fseifes, M., & Etowa, J. (2024). The COVID-19 Pandemic and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Among Immigrant Women in Canada: A Narrative Review. Women, 4(4), 480-502. https://doi.org/10.3390/women4040036

Risdon J. (2024). Top 10 source countries of new permanent residents of Canada in 2024: Canada immigration and Visa information. Immigration.ca. https://immigration.ca/top-10-source-countries-of-new-permanent-residents-of-canada/

Statistics Canada. 2023. Trends in police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence in Canada, 2022. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/241024/dq241024b-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. 2025. Fact sheet: Intimate partner violence. https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/gender-based-violence/intimate-partner-violence.html

Description

Participants will explore the layers of immigrant women’s life journeys who are living in abusive relationships, and how they integrate into mainstream society to become agents of change.

Author Details

Dr. Fay M. Dastjerdi (PI), Associate Professor, School of Nursing, York University;

Dr. Sasan Issari, Assistant Professor, Social Work Department, Trent University;

Zipora Rahmanov, PhD Student, Faculty of Education, York University;

Elizabeth Sombilon, PhD Student, School of Nursing, York University

Sigma Membership

Lambda Pi at-Large

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Narrative

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Intimate Partner Violence, Abusive Relationships, Psychological Factors, Immigrants, Women Immigrants, Iranians

Conference Name

37th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Conference Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2026-09-04

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Immigrant Women’s Experiences of Living in an Abusive Relationship: A Narrative Inquiry

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Immigration has become a reality in most parts of the world for different reasons. Iranian immigrants ranked sixth in acquiring Canadian citizenship and eighth in being admitted as permanent residents (Bains, 2024; Risdon, 2024). Most immigrants experience some degree of loss and disassociation after being dislocated. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) impacts people of all genders, ages and socioeconomic, racial, educational, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds; however,women experience this form of gender-based violence at much higher rates, most often perpetrated by men (Statistics Canada, 2023 & 2025). IPV presents a significant public health challenge affecting diverse demographic groups, including immigrant women (Bains, 2024; Risdon, 2024). These experiences affect their mental health, social cohesion, and general well-being — all of which are key to maintaining the normal process of integration into the host country and mainstream society. In this qualitative study, we explore the life experiences as narrated by Iranian immigrant and refugee women who lived in intimate relationships and the reasons for staying with their abusive partners for a while. We used narrative inquiry with an intersectional feminist lens. Narrative inquiries are defined as interwoven processes of living, telling, retelling, and reliving stories (Clandinin, 2022). We also believe it is important to use intersectionality, as it acknowledges that many intersecting identities and factors impact and shape women’s experiences of IPV and helps us better understand their journeys (Fseifes & Etowa, 2024; Collins, 2015; Crenshaw, 2013). We conducted 17 unstructured face-to-face interviews and a focus group with the first generation of Iranian immigrant women who were adults (at least 18 years old) and immigrated to Canada in past 10 years. Data was analyzed with respect to gender and an intersectional lens. Four overarching themes emerged: getting stuck on a treadmill, lacking confidentiality and trust in the system, keeping my face and honour, and coming out stronger. In conclusion, listening to immigrant women's voices in narrated life experiences can provide an opportunity for Canadian healthcare and institutions to create programs and supporting services tailored to immigrant women’s needs, thereby improving their well-being and mental health.