Intimate Partner Violence: Domestic Violence Service Providers\u27 Perceptions of Male Victims

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women has been recognized as a serious issue which requires attention. Over the past 40 years there has been an increase in sensitivity to female victims of intimate partner violence, but the same has not been true for male victims. This may be attributed to the substantial influence the feminist perspective has had upon the development of the IPV resource system. Furthermore, certain research indicates IPV resource centers may refuse to help or demean men who seek assistance as victims (Hines, Brown, & Dunning, 2007). This research project surveyed domestic violence resource centers in an effort to determine possible biases, the willingness to provide aid, and promote an understanding of resources available to male victims. In general, this research found a lack of evidence to support the claim that resource centers are biased against male victims of IPV. Further, the only variable found in this research to influence the extent to which resource workers perceived male victims was previous training about male victims. This research supports the idea that providing training regarding male victims of IPV can positively influence the perceptions of domestic violence service providers