Publication year
2007
Citation Title
Characteristics of callers to the domestic abuse hotline for men.
Journal Name
Journal of Family Violence
Journal Volume
22
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
63-72
DOI
10.1007/s10896-006-9052-0
Summary
Male victims of interpersonal violence are often unrecognized because of certain views that interpersonal violence includes a power structure in society that favors males. However, this ideology prevents society from effectively preventing violence by failing to address the realities of male victims. In order to broaden understanding in this field, researchers analyzed data collected from 190 male callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men.
Key Findings
Ninety-five percent of men reported that their wives tried to control them. The most common reported controlling behaviors were threats and coercion (77.6%; e.g., wives threatening to kill themselves), emotional abuse (74.1%; e.g., humiliating victim), and intimidation (63.3%; e.g., abusing pets). Additionally, 49% of victims stated their abuser threatened to use the court system against them (e.g., obtain full custody of children).
While most violence consisted of being slapped or hit (43.7%), pushed (41.8%), kicked (39.2%), grabbed (31.0%), and punched (24.7%), some men experienced more serious attacks including being choked (22.2%) and even stabbed (1.9%).
Female abuser characteristics included history of childhood trauma (91.7%), threatened suicide or homicide (61.9% and 59%, respectively), and alcohol use (52.1%). The women also had a history of or were currently experiencing mental illness (46%) and substance abuse (34.8%).
Approximately 52% of the men were in a physically abusive relationship at the time of the call.
Implications for Military Professionals
Facilitate support groups for male victims of interpersonal violence
Attend trainings that provide strategies on how to destigmatize male victims of interpersonal violence
Implications for Program Leaders
Disseminate information regarding female perpetrated interpersonal violence
Engage Service members and intimate partners in classes that teach conflict-resolution skills
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend professionals who work with military families receive training on the destigmatization of male victims
Recommend integrating education regarding interpersonal violence and gender-specific resources in existing delivery systems for military families
Methods
Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men volunteer operators asked questions regarding demographic information, abuse information, and partner characteristics (e.g., "Does your partner have a history of childhood trauma?")
Data were only analyzed on men who called for themselves and who experienced physical abuse from a female partner.
Statistical analyses were conducted to examine relationships among the personal characteristics of male victims and female perpetrators, controlling tactics used by female perpetrators, and men's overall experiences with the domestic violence system.
Participants
Participants were 190 male callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men who experienced physical abuse from their female partners.
The average ages of male victims and female perpetrators were 41 and 36 years, respectively. Approximately 56% of men reported having children living at home.
Male victims worked in a variety of occupations. One group of callers included men in the military, police force, or firefighters (13.7%). Also, 17.9% of callers were disabled.
Limitations
Certain demographic questions were not asked, limiting the understanding of which men are at the most risk of experiencing female perpetrated interpersonal violence.
All data on partner characteristics were obtained from the victim's perspective, increasing chances of self-report bias.
Data were not collected in a systematic way due to the primary responsibility of a helpline to assist the caller, so some operators may not have been able to ask each question or may have altered how they asked questions depending on the callers' level of need.
Avenues for Future Research
Collect more demographic data to compare interpersonal violence by women against men in regards to race, sexuality, etc. (i.e., continue to learn what populations are most at-risk)
Obtain both victim and perpetrator reports of the partners' emotional and mental health
Conduct research regarding the effects on children when they witness female perpetrated violence against men
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) by women against men has been the subject of much debate. Feminists typically argue that IPV is committed only by men against women. Others argue that violence is a human problem and women also commit much IPV. To resolve these debates, IPV has been classified into two categories: common couple violence captured by population-based studies, and patriarchal terrorism, captured by studies of battered women. This typology ignores male victims of extreme IPV. The current study addresses this omission by describing 190 male callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men. All callers experienced physical abuse from their female partners, and a substantial minority feared their wives’ violence and were stalked. Over 90% experienced controlling behaviors, and several men reported frustrating experiences with the domestic violence system. Callers’ reports indicated that their female abusers had a history of trauma, alcohol/drug problems, mental illness, and homicidal and suicidal ideations.
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