Domestic violence among immigrant women who relocated to marry South Korean men has been a recent social problem in Korea. Although there has been research exploring marital conflicts or domestic abuse of immigrant women, the research focusing on help-seeking behavior among abused immigrant women is limited. The purpose of this dissertation was to improve understanding of domestic violence and help seeking behavior among Vietnamese women in Korea. This research explored the nature of the abusive relationships which provided the context in which women seek assistance and several factors which shaped women's decision to seek help.Based on data from in-depth interviews with twenty-two abused women, this study focused on a sample in which abuse by husbands and in-laws is best characterized as intimate terrorism and reflected marital families' expectations of the extremes of patriarchal family arrangements. Data from this study also suggest that supportive networks, access to information, and capacity to survive after leaving abusive families motivated women to seek help from various sources. Rural isolation, difficulty with Korean language, concerns about privacy and feelings of shame, and fear of discrimination prevented abused women from seeking help. Concern about children also influenced women's decision to seek help. These findings suggest that it is essential to adapt coordinated community approaches to serve the needs of immigrant populations and effectively address domestic violence issues.
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