A Qualitative Study of the Male Victims’ Experiences With the Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Abuse in Four English-Speaking Countries

Lysova, Alexandra; Hanson, Kenzie; Hines, Denise A.; Dixon, Louise; Douglas, Emily M.; Celi, Elizabeth M.

doi:10.1177/0093854820927442

Cited by 30 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(60 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Three multi-country studies by the same research team have been published in 2020 [37][38][39].. One of these new studies reenforces the findings of our IMMS on help seeking by male victims and service provision [37]. The second study specifically examines male victims experiences of the criminal justice system and this would add new material to our IMMS [38]. The final study focuses on male victims experiences of female perpetrated violence [39].…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Help seeking by male victims of domestic violence and abuse: an example of an integrated mixed methods synthesis of systematic review evidence defining methodological terms

Huntley

Szilassy

Potter

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Domestic violence and abuse is a violation of human rights which damages the health and wellbeing of victims, their families and their friends. There has been less research on the experiences and support needs of male victims than those of women. Historically research on men’s experiences has not focused on what constitutes effective, needs-led service provision. The aim of this paper was to conduct an integrated mixed methods synthesis of systematic review evidence on the topic of help-seeking by male victims of domestic violence and abuse. Methods An integrated mixed methods synthesis approach was taken to enhance our understanding of the complex phenomenon of help seeking by, and service provision to male victims. This process also identifies gaps in the evidence. Using previously identified systematic review data; mixed methods data from four primary-level service evaluation studies, along with expert and patient consultation were used to develop research propositions. Primary-level qualitative interview and survey data from 12 studies of men experiences were mapped onto the propositions to support them. Results Fourteen propositions were composed. Seven propositions were supported or at least partly supported by the qualitative data. These supported propositions were used to make recommendations for policy and practice particularly concerning service preferences of male victims. The remaining seven propositions were not specifically supported by the qualitative data. These unsupported propositions were used to develop research recommendations concerning the need to further understand the potential blurred boundaries of victim–perpetrator, hybrid perpetrator-victim experiences, men who are/have been victims of childhood sexual abuse and determining the level of risk for men. They also highlight the need to produce better guidance for the response of the police & the criminal justice system. Finally, they highlight the need to produce the most appropriate service for men in terms of access, linkage, substance/alcohol abuse, mental health, sexuality, and race. Conclusion Integrated mixed-methods synthesis of systematic review evidence is a relatively novel approach. This approach can lead to recommendations for policy and practice as well as highlighting gaps in the research agenda as shown in this example.

show abstract

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Help seeking by male victims of domestic violence and abuse: an example of an integrated mixed methods synthesis of systematic review evidence defining methodological terms

Huntley

Szilassy

Potter

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In some cases, the police showed no empathy or any willingness to listen to the experiences of male victims of IPA (Lysova et al, 2020a(Lysova et al, , 2020bMcCarrick et al, 2016). In a study of 372 male victims of IPA in the Netherlands, less than 32% of the men had approached the police about their victimization, while only 15% of the men registered an official report to the police (Drijber et al, 2013).…”

Section: Male Victims and Police Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides, men's underreporting to the police can be attributed to the fear of being charged when countercharges are made against them (George, 1994). In a qualitative study of the help-seeking experiences of 38 abused men within the criminal justice system in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, when the men called the police, the police arrived only in 27% of these cases and showed hostility and bias against men; in three cases out of five when the police made an arrest, the men were arrested (Lysova et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Male Victims and Police Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men found that 72% of the men claimed that their abusers manipulated the court system to gain sole custody of the children or obtained an unwarranted restraining order against the victim (Hines et al, 2007). Qualitative studies of male victims of IPA found that men were not given a fair hearing in the court despite the evidence of female-perpetrated abuse, that they lost custody of their children more often, and that they faced a much higher burden of proof than female victims (Cook, 2009;Lysova et al, 2020aLysova et al, , 2020b.…”

Section: Male Victims and The Courtsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, a study using the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey showed that the police were unlikely to arrest women who assaulted their male partners (Felson & Paré, 2007). Few qualitative studies of male victims of IPA suggest that some men avoid getting help because they are afraid of being wrongly accused and falsely prosecuted by the police or courts (Lysova et al, 2020b). However, detailed accounts of male victims of IPA who experienced legal and administrative abuse are still limited.…”

Section: Legal and Administrative Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Male Victims’ Experiences With and Perceptions of the Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Abuse

Dim

Lysova

2021

J Interpers Violence

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intimate partner abuse (IPA) carries severe physical and psychological consequences for victims, and the police and courts are some of the essential formal structures that help victims address their victimization. Studies suggest that male victims of IPA are reluctant to speak about or report their victimization to the police. This qualitative study examines the experiences male victims of IPA had with the criminal justice system (i.e., the courts and police). We conducted interviews with 16 men who had experienced IPA in their previous relationship in Canada. Two major themes about the police response were identified: the barriers to contacting the police for help and negative experiences with the police response. We found that men who chose not to contact the police did it due to the negative expectations of being ridiculed by the police, not being believed, and fear of being arrested. Those men who called the police for help reported unfriendly and antagonistic police treatment and the police’s reluctance to charge abusive female partners. The themes that reflected the male victims’ interactions with the court pointed to: (1) legal and administrative abuse by female partners, including false accusations and manipulations of child custody, and (2) a general bias against men in the courtroom. This study brings attention to the need for law enforcement officers to be aware of the experiences and perceptions male victims have of the criminal justice system and the need for the criminal justice system to create more inclusive strategies to help male victims of IPA.

show abstract

Men’s experiences of help‐seeking for female‐perpetrated intimate partner violence: A qualitative exploration

Hogan

Clarke

Ward

2021

Couns and Psychother Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The subject of female-perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) against men has been one of controversy, with well-rehearsed arguments surrounding both the nature and existence of female-perpetrated abuse against men. The aims of this study were to explore men's help-seeking experiences and/or their perceptions of utilising support services/ support networks following IPV victimisation. Consequently, this study explored the help-seeking experiences of 26, largely British, men who self-identified as having experienced female-perpetrated IPV. As the focus was on subjective experiences, a qualitative design was employed. Participation was invited from men who had sought help for their IPV victimisation from a range of sources and those who had not sought help at all. Semi-structured interviews explored the men's experiences of seeking help, and barriers to seeking help, following IPV. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Some of the participants who took part in this study had received formal support for their experiences of IPV (i.e. counselling, calling IPV helplines and support services, contact with social workers or the police) and informal support (e.g. speaking to work colleagues, family and friends). Five participants had never spoken to anybody about their experiences prior to taking part in the interview. A range of barriers prevented the men from seeking help. First and foremost, the importance of maintaining a sense of masculinity consistently underpinned the participants' narratives. The men's fear of being judged negatively by others was often not unfounded. Negative help-seeking experiences included being treated with suspicion and contempt. Positive help-seeking experiences facilitated the men in recognising their relationship as abusive, which for some of the men was influential in their decision to leave or seek help. The lack of recognition and understanding of male IPV within society was of concern to most of the men. Some expressed a desire to use their own experiences in order to help other men in abusive relationships. These results have important implications for the development of appropriate support for male victims, including the need for practitioners to be nonjudgemental whilst assisting men in recognising their relationship as abusive.

show abstract

A Qualitative Study of the Male Victims’ Experiences With the Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Abuse in Four English-Speaking Countries

Cited by 30 publications

References 38 publications

Help seeking by male victims of domestic violence and abuse: an example of an integrated mixed methods synthesis of systematic review evidence defining methodological terms

Help seeking by male victims of domestic violence and abuse: an example of an integrated mixed methods synthesis of systematic review evidence defining methodological terms

Male Victims’ Experiences With and Perceptions of the Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Abuse

Men’s experiences of help‐seeking for female‐perpetrated intimate partner violence: A qualitative exploration

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About