Domestic violence: A phenomenological approach to the justification and acceptance of controlling behavior among Americans of Asian descent

Although past research has focused on why males perpetuate domestic violence and what factors influence a female's decision to remain in an abusive relationship, there has been a scarcity on research conducted on the prevalence of domestic violence among Americans of Asian descent. The main goal of this study is how American males of Asian descent justify asserting controlling behavior over a female romantic relational partner and why American females of Asian descent remain in abusive relationships. A total of 10 participants (seven females and two males) were interviewed using the three-series phenomenological interviewing method. A total of 21 interviews were conducted over a span of two weeks. The study suggests that participants were initially reluctant to share their personal experiences with domestic violence. However, in the second set of interviews, participants were able to give detailed personal accounts, describe feelings about their experiences, and explain how they eventually navigated out of an abusive relationship. The study also found that incidents of domestic violence occur as a function of cultural values that encourage American males of Asian descent to dominate females in the household.