Third-party perceptions of intimate partner violence victimization in men.

Abstract

Evidence is accumulating that men frequently experience and are harmed by intimate partner violence (IPV), although this form of IPV has only recently been studied. Recent studies suggest that social stereotypes may negatively influence men’s help-seeking and outcomes following IPV. We assessed the third-party perception of a man versus a women who experienced physical and psychological IPV. Using video vignettes of psychological/physical IPV that varied only in the gender of the perpetrator and victim, 168 participants recruited from an online survey platform and a Midwestern private university were randomly assigned to view an interaction depicting either a man or woman IPV victim. Participants rated their emotional response immediately after watching the vignette, followed by perceptions of the IPV victim and perpetrator. Participants reported less negative affect after viewing IPV perpetrated against a man versus against a woman, and male IPV victims were rated as deserving of less sympathy, less in need of medical, psychological, and legal help, and less successful, powerful, and socially desirable than female IPV victims. Post hoc analyses regarding perpetrator criminality and identification of the IPV victim using the “victim” label also differed by IPV victim gender. Our findings suggest that preconceived notions based on gender roles impede the identification of men as victims and likely influence their treatment by friends, medical and mental health care providers, and legal authorities. Further research is needed to inform the unique interpersonal and intrapersonal stereotyping that may explain men’s help-seeking and outcomes in IPV victimization.

An assessment of appraisals of dating relationship conflicts and perceptions of appropriate coping strategies with psychologically abusive interactions

“…In effect, by putting themselves in the shoes of the target in the scenarios, males were appraising abuse perpetrated against males, whereas females were considering abuse perpetrated against females (we did not have a sufficient sample size to evaluate other gender identities). Consistent with other research ( Savage et al, 2017 ; Thomas and Hart, 2023 ), psychological abuse targeting females was appraised as more distressing and severe than against males. As well, males’ appraisals were less likely to differentiate ambiguous from blatantly abusive behaviors, compared to females whose patterns of response were not entirely intuitive.…”

“…Males may be especially reluctant to define aggressive behaviors toward themselves or other men as constituting abuse due to social stigma and gendered stereotypes associated with being a male victim of abuse (Scott-Storey et al, 2023), and hence, are particularly unlikely to seek help (Thomas and Hart, 2023). Although males were likely to regard abusive behaviors toward women as severe, both females and males were less likely to appraise the same behaviors targeting a male victim as serious (Sikström et al, 2021;Sikström and Dahl, 2023), and were less sympathetic toward male victims (Savage et al, 2017;Thomas and Hart, 2023).…”