Shame, stigma, and culture prevent male intimate partner violence survivors from seeking help, study finds
Men are less likely than women to seek help after experiencing intimate partner violence, and new research from George Mason University found that the main barriers include viewing it as a private matter, fear of retaliation, shame and concerns about not being believed.
A new study from George Mason University reveals that male survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) face significant barriers to seeking help. Male IPV researcher Lyric Russo, the study's lead author, highlights shame, fear of retaliation, views of abuse as a private matter, and concerns about not being believed as the main obstacles.
The research, published in Psychology of Men & Masculinities, examines these barriers across Black, Latino, and White men to better understand disparities in help-seeking behavior among different racial and ethnic groups. The study, based on nearly 1,200 U.S. men who experienced IPV, is the first large-scale investigation of its kind.
Russo emphasizes the importance of culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and gender-inclusive interventions to overcome these barriers and improve access to services for male IPV survivors.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
