Help-seeking among male victims of partner abuse: men's hard times

Abstract

Sixty-eight agency representatives in the United States completed a survey to identify issues of male victims in partner abuse: half referenced responses from male clients and the other half responses from male victims who were their family members, friends, colleagues, or themselves. Almost 25% revealed that male victims did not utilize social services. For those men who used services, individual counseling and legal advice were most popular; group counseling and sharing through the Internet were least used. Qualitative data found five themes that triggered men's hard times: service target perception, shame and embarrassment, denial, stigmatization, and fear. The study resulted in three recommendations: (a) increase public awareness and education; (b) provide gender-inclusive practice and services, and (c) strengthen training for service providers working with domestic violence male victims. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.