Cultivating Care: A Culturally Specific Domestic Violence Prevention Program for HBCU Campuses

Sean I. Gibbs^1, , Jalyn Holden¹, Deja Harper¹ and Sojourner A. Gibbs²

¹Psychology Program, Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America

²Women's Civic Engagement Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America

Cite this paper:
Sean I. Gibbs, Jalyn Holden, Deja Harper and Sojourner A. Gibbs. Cultivating Care: A Culturally Specific Domestic Violence Prevention Program for HBCU Campuses. American Journal of Applied Psychology. 2025; 13(1):23-31. doi: 10.12691/ajap-13-1-4

Abstract

Domestic violence is a pervasive and complex public health problem impacting more than 10 million people per year in the United States . Even though the social, emotional, and psychological impacts of domestic violence are felt universally, certain demographics are uniquely vulnerable to its impacts. Specifically, African American college-age women attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are disproportionately affected by domestic violence. Institutions of higher learning, national programs, and federally funded organizations have developed interventions to address violence on college campuses. However, cultural barriers and preconceived stigmas reduce the effectiveness of standard domestic violence prevention programs. This article analyzed needs assessment data, domestic violence impact reports, gaps in the literature, and current violence prevention strategies for HBCU campuses to examine the problems and identify solutions. The mixed-methods analysis results provided thematic patterns of intersectionality, treatment barriers, and violence prevention strategies for the development of a domestic violence prevention program designed explicitly for HBCU communities as a theoretical solution. The culturally specific domestic violence prevention program structure, objectives, learning outcomes, and implementation description are provided. Although preliminary findings indicate that the proposed domestic violence prevention program will increase awareness, utilization of support services, and potentially reduce reported incidents of violence among target populations, further quantitative studies are suggested as implications for future research and research limitations.

Keywords:
domestic violence prevention HBCU culturally specific program African American college campus

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Huecker, M. R., King, K. C., Jordan, G. A., & Smock, W. (2023). Domestic Violence. StatPearls Publishing. https:// pubmed. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 29763066/.
[2]	U.S. Department of Justice. Office on Violence Against Women. (2025). What Is Domestic Violence? https:// www.justice.gov/ ovw/domestic-violence.
[3]	Webermann, A. R., Murphy, C. M., Singh, R., & Schacht, R. L. (2022). Preventing relationship abuse among college students: A controlled trial of the Skills for Healthy Adult Relationships (SHARe) program. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(3/4), NP1860–NP1885.
[4]	Center For Domestic Peace (2025). Economic Impact of Domestic Violence. https://centerfordomesticpeace.org/economic-impact-of-domestic-violence/.
[5]	Peterson, C., Kearns, M.C., McIntosh, W. L., Estefan, L.F., Nicolaidis, C., McCollister, K.E., Gordon, A., & Florence, C. (2018). Lifetime Economic Burden of Intimate Partner Violence Among U.S. Adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 55(4):433–444.
[6]	Desmarais, S. L., Reeves, K. A., Nicholls, T. L., Telford, R. P., & Fiebert, M. S. (2012). Prevalence of physical violence in intimate relationships, part 1: Rates of male and female victimization. Partner Abuse, 3(2), 140–169.
[7]	An, S., Welch-Brewer, C., & Tadese, H. (2024). Scoping review of intimate partner violence prevention programs for undergraduate college students. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(4), 3099–3114.
[8]	Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (2019). African American/Black Women and Intimate Partner Violence Facts. https://gcadv.org › AA-Factsheet_ Final_DEC19 https:// gcadv.org/wp-content/uploads/AA-Factsheet_Final_DEC19.pdf.
[9]	National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2025). Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fast Facts. https://nces.ed.gov › fastfacts › display https:// nces.ed.gov/ fastfacts/display.asp?id=667.
[10]	U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. (2025). Sex discrimination: Overview of the law. https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/ civil-rights-laws/ sex-discrimination /sex-discrimination-2.
[11]	U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Women Veterans Health Care. (2025). Intimate Partner Violence. https:// www.womenshealth. va.gov/topics/intimate-partner-violence.asp.
[12]	Whitfield, D. L., Coulter, R. W., Langenderfer-Magruder, L., & Jacobson, D. (2021). Experiences of intimate partner violence among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender college students: The intersection of gender, race, and sexual orientation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(11–12), NP6040–NP6064.
[13]	Kettrey, H. H., Thompson, M. P., Marx, R. A., et al. (2024). Effects of campus intimate partner violence prevention programs on psychological and physical violence outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 20, 1015–1041.
[14]	Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). United States Department of Justice. (2025). Campus Program. https:// www.justice.gov/ovw/campus-program#:~: text=In% 202024% 2C% 20the% 20Campus% 20Program% 20special% 20initiative,HSI%20flyer%20%C2%B7%20Download%20the%20TCU%20flyer.
[15]	U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. (n.d.). Strengthening culturally specific campus approaches to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking initiative. Campus Program. Retrieved July 25, 2025, from https://www.justice.gov/ovw/campus-program.
[16]	Moylan, C. A., Javorka, M., Bybee, D., Stotzer, R. L., & Carlson, M. (2019). Campus-level variation in the prevalence of student experiences of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 10(3), 397–421.
[17]	Griffin, V. W., Pelletier, D., Griffin, O. H., III, & Sloan, J. J., III. (2017). Campus violence elimination act: SaVing lives or SaVing face? American Journal of Criminal Justice, 42, 401–425.
[18]	Collins, P. H., da Silva, E. C. G., Ergun, E., Furseth, I., Bond, K. D., & Martínez-Palacios, J. (2021). Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory: Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory, Patricia Hill Collins, Duke University Press, 2019. Contemporary Political Theory, 20(3), 690–725.
[19]	Rankin, Y. (2024). Moving from theory to application: Black Feminist thought as an intersectional framework for design: IX Magazine issue XXXI.5 September - October 2024. ACM Interactions. https://interactions.acm.org/archive/view/september-october-2024/moving-from-theory-to-application-black-feminist-thought-as-an-intersectional-framework-for-design#R5.
[20]	Souza, J. (2025). What is social and emotional learning?Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/what-is-social-and-emotional-learning/.
[21]	BentGoodley, T. B., Zonicle, A. E., RomeroChandler, S., & St. Vil, N. M. (2025). Intimate partner violence, mental health, and intimate partner homicide: Perceptions of Black communities. Social Work Research, 49(2), 93–105.
[22]	Lukachko, A., Hatzenbuehler, M. L., & Keyes, K. M. (2022). Religiosity and stigmatization related to mental illness among African Americans and Black immigrants. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 9(6), 2483–2493.
[23]	Williams, M. T. (2011). Mental health in the African American community: From stigma to solutions. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culturally-speaking/ 201108/ mental-health-in-the-african-american-community.
[24]	Holliday, R. B., & Hill, A. E. (2018). Resource disparities and student support services at historically Black colleges and universities. Journal of College Student Development, 59(3), 340–355.
[25]	Healthy Minds Network & United Negro College Fund Institute for Capacity Building. (2025). Community, Culture, and Care: A Cross-Institutional Analysis of Mental Health Among HBCU and PBI Students. [Report based on the Healthy Minds Study survey administered during 2022–2024].
[26]	U.S. Department of Education. (2022). Counseling services and student retention: A review of campus mental health return on investment. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567366/.
[27]	W. Montague Cobb–NMA Health Institute. (2023). Afrocentric cultural norms, mental health functioning, and the perception of intimate partner violence among young Black men [Qualitative/quantitative study summary]. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Advance online publication.
[28]	Fiveable. (2024). Toxic Masculinity – Intro to African American Studies. https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/introduction-african-american-studies/toxic-masculinity.
[29]	Goodwill, J. R., Johnson, N. C., & Watkins, D. C. (2020). Adherence to masculine norms and depressive symptoms in young Black men. Social Work, 65(3), 235–244.
[30]	DeGruy, J. (2005). Post-traumatic slave syndrome: America's legacy of enduring injury and healing. Uptone Press.
[31]	Murray, A. L., & Osei-Tutu, E. (2023). “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do”: An exploration of Black American men’s conceptualizations of masculinity, manhood, and gender roles. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(13–14), 10055–10082.
[32]	National Women’s Law Center. (2020). Title IX protections. https://nwlc.org/issue/title-ix/.
[33]	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.) Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) Program. https:// www.cdc.gov/ intimate-partner-violence/programs/index.html.
[34]	Louisiana Domestic Violence Prevention Commission. (2020). 2020 Annual Report https:// gov.louisiana.gov/ assets/docs/ 2020DVPCReport.pdf.
[35]	U.S. Department of Justice. (2024). 2024 Biennial Report to Congress on the Effectiveness of Grant Programs Under the Violence Against Women Act. https:// www.justice.gov/ ovw/media/ 1385821/dl?inline=.
[36]	Gutowski, E.R., Freitag, S., Zhang, S., Thompson, M.P., & Kaslow, N.J. (2022). Intimate Partner Violence, Legal Systems, and Barriers for African American Women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 38(1-2):NP1279-NP1298.
[37]	Hulley, J., Bailey, L., Kirkman, G., Gibbs, G. R., Gomersall, T., Latif, A., & Jones, A. (2022). Intimate Partner Violence and Barriers to Help-Seeking Among Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Immigrant Women: A Qualitative Metasynthesis of Global Research. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(2), 1001–1015.
[38]	Hampton, R., Oliver, W., & Magarian, L. (2003). Domestic Violence in the African American Community: An Analysis of Social and Structural Factors. Violence Against Women. 9. 533–557. 10.1177/1077801202250450.
[39]	Smith, S. G., Chen, J., Basile, K. C., Gilbert, L. K., Merrick, M. T., Patel, N., Walling, M., & Jain, A. (2017). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010–2012 state report. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:// www.cdc.gov/ violenceprevention/ pdf/nisvs-statereportbook.pdf.
[40]	Mandler, C. (2023). HBCUs receive 178 times less foundation funding than Ivy League schools, study finds. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hbcus-receive-178-times-less-funding-than-ivy-league-schools-study-finds/.
[41]	Black Women’s Blueprint. (2018). It’s Your Business: HBCU Bystander Intervention Curriculum. https:// www. changingourcampus. org/ documents/Its-Your-Business-HBCU-Curriculum-2018-7-31.pdf/.
[42]	Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act or Campus SaVE Act. H.R.2016 — 112th Congress. (2016). https:// www.congress.gov /bill/ 112th-congress/house-bill/2016.
[43]	Domestic Violence Counselor-Victim Privilege. California Code, Evidence Code - EVID § 1037.1. (2006). https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/.
[44]	Louisiana Revised Statutes. 14, § 35.3. Domestic abuse battery. (1990). https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=206153.