NCJ Number
218144
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2007 Pages: 63-72
Date Published
March 2007
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study identified the characteristics of 190 men callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men.
Abstract
Overall, the men callers reported experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) similar to those of female victims of IPV. Their partners were controlling and physically abusive. A significant minority lived in fear of their partner's violence and were stalked by the partner. The callers indicated that their female abusers had a history of trauma, alcohol/drug problems, mental illness, and homicidal and suicidal thoughts. The men involved in this study repeatedly sought services for their abusive situations and were often frustrated with the response they received from the domestic violence service system. Through the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men, many were offered help with finding shelter, filing a restraining order, or other such actions. The biases of certain domestic violence agencies reported by the male callers were verified by follow-up calls to these agencies. The male victims of IPV were in their early 40s and, on average, 5 years older than their female abusers. The majority had children and were involved in a variety of occupations. The men involved in this study called the helpline between January 2002 and November 2003. Helpline volunteers trained in advocating for male victims of IPV collected information on their victimization experiences and current situation. 2 tables and 32 references