Help-Seeking Behaviors of Male Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence in Kenya

Abstract

Very few studies examine the help-seeking behaviors of male survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Kenya or sub-Saharan Africa more generally. Using nationally representative cross-sectional data from 1,458 male survivors and multinomial logit models, we examined what influences men’s decision to seek help after experiencing IPV. Results show the majority of male survivors did not seek help. Those who did so turned to informal rather than formal sources. The severity of physical violence was the most robust and consistent predictor of help-seeking. Male survivors of severe physical abuse had higher odds of seeking help from informal support networks than not seeking help. Compared to the uneducated, highly educated men were significantly more likely to seek help from formal support networks than to not seek help at all. Sensitization programs are required to educate male survivors of IPV on available sources of support. In particular, barriers to help-seeking must be removed to encourage male survivors to find support.

Male Survivors of Domestic Violence, Challenges in Cultural Response, and Impact on Identity and Help-Seeking Behaviors: A Systematic Review

“…A study was conducted to examine the prevalence of past-year IPV experience and perpetration among women and men living in an informal settlement in Kenya and factors associated with IPV among 273 women and 429 men (Ringwald et al, 2022). This study’s results revealed that women and men experienced similar levels of IPV, but a significantly higher proportion of men reported physical and sexual IPV perpetration, another study in Kenya reported that 6.8, 3.6, and 20.1% of Kenyan men had experienced physical, sexual, and emotional violence, respectively (Tenkorang et al, 2021). Furthermore, another study conducted among individuals in a hospital emergency department in Hong Kong revealed a higher representation of family violence among Chinese male victims, as opposed to females, in the 20 to 49 years old category, and more male victims in critical conditions than female IPV victims (Chan et al, 2013; Tsang et al, 2021).…”

“…Other studies mentioned that some participants identified as being in a current relationship during the study (Bates, 2020; Hogan et al, 2021). Some of the included studies stated the participants’ employment status, education level, and occupations (Dim & Lysova, 2022; Donne et al, 2018; Freeland et al, 2018; Goldberg-Looney et al, 2016; Gonçalves et al, 2021; Gueta & Shlichove, 2022; Machado et al, 2016; Simon & Wallace, 2018; Tenkorang et al, 2021; Tsang et al, 2021; Tsui et al, 2014; Walker et al, 2020).…”

“…Study results detailed how the severity of their IPV experience and the way(s) they felt legitimized and accepted as a victim, significantly affected their willingness to attempt help seeking (Gonçalves et al, 2021; Tenkorang et al, 2021). In Kenya, 24.8% of men in one study sought help from informal support networks such as family and friends, compared to 10.6% who sought help from traditional agencies (Tenkorang et al, 2021). Research among men victims of stalking in Portugal highlighted how they search only for help when they have experienced a more significant negative impact in their lives (Gonçalves et al, 2021).…”

“…Moreover, between 2010 and 2014, 2.9% of men and 1.7% of women in Canada reported suffering physical and sexual IPV in their current relationships in the last 5 years based on the Canadian General Social Survey (Burczycka, 2016; Lysova et al, 2019). Internationally, multiple studies reported that men had IPV experiences in their lives (Gueta & Shlichove, 2022; Machado et al, 2018; Ringwald et al, 2022; Tenkorang et al, 2021; Tsang et al, 2021). A study was conducted to examine the prevalence of past-year IPV experience and perpetration among women and men living in an informal settlement in Kenya and factors associated with IPV among 273 women and 429 men (Ringwald et al, 2022).…”

Interpersonal Violence Is Associated with Self-Reported Stress, Anxiety and Depression among Men in East-Central Sweden: Results of a Population-Based Survey

“…The argument here is that gender socialization may cause men to minimize or trivialize their experiences of IPV [ 62 , 70 ], but may also hinder them from disclosing their IPV experiences and from taking the decision to seek help [ 48 , 64 , 71 , 72 ]. Several studies carried out elsewhere also indicate that men avoid seeking help after victimization for fear of being ridiculed, because they feel ashamed, and ultimately for fear of being considered the initiator of violence rather than the victim [ 48 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ].…”