Dissertation USA 2009
Author: Theresa Benson, MA
Program Coordinator of the Counseling Center Paraprofessional Program at the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Title: The Experiences of Heterosexual Men Who Have Been Targets of Intimate
Partner Violence
Date: 2009
Publisher: Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation
Approved by: Brian Ogawa
How do men experience aggression from female intimate partners? To date,
research on the experience of men who are targets of intimate partner violence
consists mostly of survey data, which have provided both prevalence and
incidence information related to violence against men. Although this type of
information is useful for understanding the scope of intimate partner violence,
it fails to provide a context for intimate partner violence where one might
obtain an understanding of the lived experience of someone who has been the
target of intimate partner violence.
Two often cited surveys in the field of intimate partner violence include the
National Violence Against Women Survey and the National Family Violence Survey.
Data from the National Violence Against Women Survey, an example of a crime
victim study, indicate that the lifetime prevalence of violence against men by
an intimate partner is 7.9%. Thus, 7.9% of men in the U.S. population will
experience intimate partner violence at some time during their lifetime. In
addition, data suggest that both a man's race and history of childhood physical
abuse are predictive factors of men becoming targets of intimate partner
violence (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Specifically, African American men and
Native American men report higher rates of intimate partner violence, while
Asian American men report lower rates of intimate partner violence. What is not
known from survey data is the context of the violence experienced by men.
Specific questions in relation to context include, what are the precipitating
events that lead to men becoming targets of intimate partner violence? Are the
majority of men experiencing intimate partner violence because their female
partners are striking back in self-defense? Or are men experiencing intimate
partner violence that is initiated by their female partner? In addition, it is
not known if incidence and prevalence data are accurate given the research
indicating that men are less likely to engage in help-seeking behavior (Addis &
Mahalik, 2003).
Field and Caetano (2005) provided a brief review of the survey research related
to intimate partner violence. They summarized findings from the following
surveys: The National Family Violence Survey and National Family Violence
Resurvey conducted in 1976 and 1985 respectively (Straus & Gelles, 1990), the
National Survey of Families and Households (Sweet & Bumpass, 1996), the National
Violence Against Women Survey (Tjaden and Thoennes, 2000), the National
Longitudinal Couples Survey (Sorenson, Upchurch, & Shen, 1996), the National
Crime Victimization Survey (Rennison & Welchans, 2000), the Study of Injured
Victims of Violence (Rand, 1997), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
Supplemental Homicide Reports (Paulozzi, Saltzman, Thompson, & Holmgreen, 2001).
These authors concluded that approximately 20% of couples in the U.S. general
population reported intimate partner violence. In addition, men and women were
equally likely to commit less severe forms of intimate partner violence, but
women were more likely the victim of severe forms of physical violence. Also,
Hispanic Americans and African Americans had a higher rate of intimate partner
violence than Whites. This suggests that heterosexual men have been targets of
intimate partner violence, but little is known about their experiences.
References
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