“I've Never Felt Such Absolute Devastating Loss”: A Photo Elicitation Exploration of Men's Postseparation Experiences of Coping After Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Current research and statistics support that there are a significant number of male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet less is known about how men cope with, and indeed move on from, these experiences postseparation. The aim of the current study is to discuss the findings from a photo elicitation study exploring men's postseparation experiences of coping after IPV experiences; photo elicitation as a method of interviewing is simply the use of photos within an interview setting (Harper, 2002), they are used as a stimulus to elicit richer accounts of the topic under study (Frith & Harcourt, 2007). We interviewed 16 men who brought photos that represented their experience for discussion. Interviews were analyzed thematically, and several overarching themes were identified: (a) power, (b) postseparation support, (c) systemic injustice and separation, (d) separation, impact, and loss. Men described the ways in which they engaged in mechanisms to help their “recovery” and help them to cope, but these efforts were often hampered by ongoing issues of power with their ex-partners, gender stereotyped treatment, a lack of support from systems they approached for help, and separation from their children. Findings are discussed in relation to current legislation and practice, with recommendations made around the need for tailored support and intervention to support men and their children.

Barriers to Men’s Help Seeking for Intimate Partner Violence

“…For example, work in the United States and Canada ( Dim, 2020 ; Hines & Douglas, 2010 ) and Europe ( Bates, 2019 ; Bjørnholt, & Rosten, 2020 ; Drijber et al, 2013 ; McCarrick et al, 2016 ) has shown that men’s victimization experiences may include physical and psychological forms of abuse. The physical assaults reported by male victims have been found to include serious physical attacks from their female partners including: hitting, stabbing with an object, kicking, biting, and choking ( Bates & Taylor, 2021 ; Machado et al., 2017 ). These assaults challenge the perception that women’s violence toward male partners is trivial and inconsequential ( James, 1996 ; Johnson, 2008 ; Saunders, 2002 ).…”