What is Domestic Violence?
First and foremost, domestic violence, which can also be referred as intimate partner violence, can be perpetuated in various ways including:
- Verbal;
- Emotional;
- Physical;
- Financial;
- Sexual abuse of another individual/s within the same household.
Unfortunately, it affects any member regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. (Kavita, A. 2014). Moreover, “Domestic violence is a major public health issue and has been linked with many mental health problems including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders and psychosis” (Oram et al., 2018).
Therefore, most can agree that any form of abuse targeted towards an individual, may leave severe and harsh consequences on mental health. Without doubt, domestic violence is increasing, especially during the past two years due to Covid-19, and therefore, new measures need to be established in order combat this issue and its dreadful effects on these victims (Campbell, A. M. (2020).
Prevalence and Statistics
In order to control the spread of Covid-19, safety measures are being implemented such as social-distancing, sheltering in-place and restricting individuals’ ability to go outside (Campbell, A. M. (2020). For instance, in May, 2020 more than one-third of the entire population of the world was under some form of restriction (Sharma & Borah, 2020). Therefore, as a result of these safety measures, family abuse is dramatically increasing and thus, data suggests that “domestic abuse is acting like an opportunistic infection, flourishing in the conditions created by the pandemic.” (Sharma & Borah, 2020). Furthermore, it’s common for perpetrators of domestic violence to isolate their victims as an act of control and the current societal conditions are likely furthering the impact of these actions. And let us not forget about the high rate of unemployment due to the Coronavirus, serving as a gateway to more marital abuse within households.
Moreover, there is this cultural belief that men should be able to defend themselves, and that there is no such thing as female violence. In a study conducted by Buzawa and her colleagues (2006), showed that “male victims reported three times the rate of serious injury as their female counterparts, 38% compared to 14%”. At the same time, Brown (2006) examined the differences on how both male and female perpetrators were treated by the social justice system. Brown sought 2,044 cases where the man was charged, 155 where the woman was charged, 118 where both were charged and 612 where a complaint was filled but neither was charged. There were 206 cases where only the male partner was injured, and the female was charged in 60.2% of those. However, when the female partner was injured, the male was charged 91.1% of the time (Dutton, 2006). Unfortunately, often when we hear or read the word domestic violence, automatically an image of a man pops up into our heads.
Domestic Violence on Male Victims
Intimate partner violence (IPV) or domestic violence (DV) is often framed as a “woman’s issue” generating the perception of males involved in violent relationships as the aggressor and more capable of inflicting injury and harm. And therefore, as a result of the ‘Gender Paradigm’ whenever a male seeks protection from a female figure, they are treated with more suspicion and with less seriousness (Dutton & White, 2013). One factor as to why any records of assaulted men tends to be low is because often the victims do not see it as abuse and so, no action is done by the police.
The same study also showed that it is far less common for men to call up a friend/relative/professional for help. Nonetheless, because of male victims not reporting their abuse, there is also lack of research about the challenges of providing support to male victims and how barriers to effective service engagement are experienced by both men and professionals in the health sector. For instance a study highlights how, male participants were subject to ridicule by their female partners and also financially abused. Therefore, it is of vital importance that this area is further explored since the safety of these men have been historically overlooked within academic research and service provision (Hines & Bates & Wallace, 2020).
Moreover, in order to tackle this issue a study has been performed by Bates, Wallace and Hines (2020), to explore the nature and context of abuse towards male victims and the perceptions of professionals’ dealing with male victims. The study mainly focused on the theme of ‘Stereotypes and expectations of men’. Conclusions revealed that even though men were exposed to verbal and physical violence, they were still hesitant and even reluctant to seek help, ending up making excuses for their perpetrators each time.
Psychological Health Issues Faced by Male Victims of Domestic Violence
Gender theories of domestic violence, which describe male dominance and violence through the sociological aspects of a patriarchal society, were introduced by feminists in the 1960s and continue to be the basis of most people’s views on domestic violence. On the other hand, the gender symmetry theory of domestic violence views violence as being portrayed both by men and women (Kavita, 2014). Having said that, domestic violence brings with it immense psychological distress, both long-term and short-term. These include depression, alcohol/substance disorder, sleeping/eating disorders, social isolation, anxiety, and personality disorders (Kavita, 2014).
A study conducted by Randle and Graham (2011), found that depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation was common as a result of IPV targeted towards men. This study also revealed that men tended to blame themselves for being abused, even though it was not their fault. A crucial reason as to why more research should be conducted on this overlooked part of the population, is because immediate attention is needed to adequately help and ensure safety of these victims.
Furthermore, an Italian study conducted by Margherita et al., (2021), which is the first ever Italian study to deal with domestic violence targeted to men, focused on the development of psychological distress by male victims and how important it is for clinicians to have a good understanding on the issue. This study showed that interventions such as provision of management guidelines, training to attending physicians and a supportive service to male survivors are needed for victims’ needs to be adequately met.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as made evident in this article, male victims suffer from various mental and physical distresses because of domestic violence. On a brighter note, however, new and improved interventions are being implemented and there is more awareness on this topic due to the fact that people are now talking about it more freely and are realizing that both, male and females can be victims of domestic violence (Hogan et al., 2012).
