Using the PEN‐3 model to plan culturally competent domestic violence intervention and prevention services in Chinese American and immigrant communities

The purpose of this article is two‐fold. First, it applies the PEN‐3 model to the topic of domestic violence within the Chinese American and Chinese immigrant community. The PEN‐3 model was developed by Collins Airhihenbuwa, and it focuses on placing culture at the forefront of health promotion. It consists of three dimensions: cultural identity, relationships and expectations, and cultural empowerment. The article offers practice recommendations from the PEN‐3 analysis to plan culturally relevant and sensitive domestic violence prevention, education, and services targeted to the Chinese American and Chinese immigrant community.

Using existing literature in the areas of domestic violence and health, mental health, and counseling interventions with Chinese Americans and immigrants, the PEN‐3 model, as an organizing framework, was applied to understand the phenomenon of domestic violence among Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants in the United States.

How Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants perceive domestic violence and how they obtain formal assistance are embedded within a larger sociocultural context including a host of factors ranging from personal, family, community, environmental, and structural variables.

The PEN‐3 model reinforces the importance in addressing domestic violence within an ecological and cultural framework. Harnessing traditional Chinese value systems (i.e. emphasis on collectivism, hierarchy, patriarchy) and collaborating with the community are essential in promoting culturally sensitive interventions.

Practice articles examining the application of the PEN‐3 model on domestic violence among Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants are lacking. More often than not, culture and other social forces are minimized by practitioners who are guided by “Western ways of knowing.”