Two male nurses’ experiences of caring for female patients after intimate partner violence: a South African perspective

Abstract

Background: South Africa is perceived to be one of the countries with the worst reputation regarding the occurrence of intimate partner violence. The women who suffer from serious physical injuries are admitted to emergency care units and their first contact with healthcare is through the nurses in these units. Emergency care nurses become secondary victims of violence due to their exposure to the pain of assaulted patients. Female nurses tend to identify with these patients as some nurses are in similar relationships. Not much research has been done on the challenges that male nurses face when they are confronted with abuse of women inflicted by males. Methodology:In this case study with a phenomenological research methodology two African male emergency care nurses were interviewed. Findings:The participants experienced a dichotomy of being-in-nursing and being-in-society and had been confronted with the conflicting roles of being men (the same sex as the perpetrators) and being nurses (the carer of the victim). They tried to manage the situation by using the 'self' to care for the patient and to be a problem solver for the patient and her partner or husband. Conclusion:The authors conclude that society expects men not to be in a caring profession and nursing is still a female-dominated caring profession that finds it difficult to move away from its engendered and caring image. The participants experienced role conflict when they took care of female patients who have suffered intimate partner violence.

Emergency department nurses experiences of female domestic violence presentations: A review of the qualitative literature

“…33 Cultural sensitivities also appeared to play a major role in the anger of indifference of DV which also prevented ED nurses from intervening appropriately. One Middle Eastern study identified that DV is viewed as a family issue and therefore the abuse should be dealt with by the family, 35 leaving the nurse helpless to intervene for fear of being castigated by the family. Likewise, one South African study suggested that in some cases DV was justified.…”

Nursing research on intimate partner violence in China: A scoping review

“…Similarly, male nurses were less recruited for investigation regarding opinions, preparedness, and practice towards IPV even though they make up 2·2%, 13·4%, 13·1%, and 3·2% of the nursing profession in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, respectively [34 , 38 , 162 , 163] . Thus we may lose the chance to know how male nurses differ from their female counterparts, and what male nurses can do differently to respond to IPV [164 , 165] . Second, very few studies explored findings for male victims, female perpetrators, or bidirectional IPV perpetration [166] .…”

Professional male caregiving: A concept analysis

“…21,22 Men tend employ a problem-centered approach to caregiving. 14,16,17,19 This allows them to focus on the technical aspects of care and distance themselves from some of the emotional aspects of care.…”

“…Often, men will detach from an emotionally charged situation. 15,23,24 This behavior has positive impacts including being able to think clearly in stressful situations, 17,23 not experiencing as much burnout due to emotional overload, 15,24 and protecting themselves from harm. 18 Some men found the need to counteract their emotional distance by emphasizing their empathy.…”