Intimate Partner Violence Among Men With Disabilities: The Role of Health Care Providers

Abstract

Men with disabilities experience higher rates of interpersonal violence (IPV) than either women or men without disabilities, yet research exploring this problem is limited. This retrospective descriptive study examines the clinical files of male survivors of IPV with disabilities who received services from the Secret Garden, a disability-specific nonresidential IPV program located in New York City. These data inform the role health care providers may fill in helping address IPV against men with disabilities. Abuse history, medical and mental health service utilization, and the channels through which men accessed IPV assistance were areas of focus for analysis. Data were analyzed descriptively and outcomes reported as frequencies and percentages. Results indicate that more than half of study participants were abused by an intimate partner (66.2%) and nearly two-thirds described an act of physical abuse as the most serious type of abuse perpetrated (71.7%). Nearly half (40.8%) had previous contact with medical providers due to abuse. The high prevalence of physical abuse in this sample has critical physical and mental health implications, and could further exacerbate already precarious health statuses. While nearly half reported previous contact with health care providers due to abuse, only 15.8% were referred for IPV assistance by a health care provider, indicating a missed opportunity to identify signs of abuse and direct survivors to additional resources.

<p>Healthcare Worker Experience and the Challenges in Screening for Intimate Partner Violence Among Women Who Use Antiretroviral Therapy and Other Health Services in Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia: A Phenomenological Study</p>

“…Furthermore, the body of literature showed that only 15.8% of victims were referred for IPV assistance by HCWs. 28 The current study found a shortage of medical equipment, which is in line with research in Tanzania. 8 The current study findings also showed that there was no collaboration with external organizations to prevent IPV and that a gap existed in the medico-legal reporting system, match a study in Serbia, 21 in which there was a weak support network for screening IPV.…”

Gender-based violence among people with disabilities is a neglected public health topic

“…The few existing studies on GBV among PWDs indicate that PWDs are at equal or greater risk of GBV compared to their peers without disabilities [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. PWDs report multiple forms of violence during their lifetime, by multiple perpetrators and for longer periods, compared to people without disabilities [5].…”

“…To-date there is scanty research on the prevalence and risk factors of GBV among people with disabilities (PWDs) [5][6][7][8]. Moreover, research evaluating services and interventions that address GBV among PWDs is almost inexistent [9]. This eminent lack of data concerning PWDs obscures the state of GBV in this population, deterring political commitment and comprehensive public health engagement.…”

Physical violence and violent threats reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability: cross sectional evidence from a nationally representative survey

“…Alternatively, it has been argued that disability further adds to the power disparities and lack of access resources associated with traditional gender roles [ 58 ]. While there is a dearth of methodologically robust studies, it is clear that both gender and type of disability affect the prevalence of violence [ 11 , 58 , 59 ]. It is critical that strategies to prevent violence are developed taking into account these intersectionalities [ 11 , 58 , 59 ].…”