Why Men Don't Report Domestic Abuse

Why Men Don t Report Domestic Abuse
Introduction
Problem Statement
Today, domestic violence in the United States has been well-documented as a major social problem that has a number of adverse consequences, including threats of bodily harm, forced emotional and economic exploitation, sexual encounters as well as physical and psychological abuse (Carney, 2014). Domestic violence has also been referred to as “family violence,” “interpersonal violence," "spousal battering" and "intimate partner violence," but all of these constructs share the same foregoing controlling components (Carney, 2014). Although it goes by several different terms, domestic violence remains commonplace throughout the country and it adversely affects everyone involved irrespective gender, age, race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, nationality or religion (Domestic violence fact sheet, 2018).
While most Americans believe that domestic violence is primarily directed against women, nearly as many men are abused each year with the same adverse outcomes (Domestic violence statistics, 2018). In fact, more than 25% of American men report having been domestically abused, including severe physical violence, at some point during their relationships (Domestic violence statistics, 2018) and many authorities suggest the figure is much higher (Dutton, 2011). These disturbing statistics clearly represent a significant public health threat in the United States, and these issues are discussed further below.
Importance of the Problem
While there have been aggressive efforts directed at addressing domestic violence against women in the United States in recent years, there has been far less attention paid to domestic violence against men for several reasons, but most especially the stigma that is associated with such abuse in an otherwise male-dominated society (Dutton, 2011). In addition, Carney (2014) emphasizes that, “Domestic violence against men often goes unrecognized for a variety of reasons. Men may be reluctant to report abuse because of embarrassment or fear of ridicule [or] they may be afraid they won't be believed. Therefore, less is known about male victims and the consequences of women as perpetrators” (p. 37). Likewise, a seminal study by Phelan, Hamberger, Guse, Walczak and Zosel (2005) determined that although men initiate domestic violence more often than women, men are far less likely to contact law enforcement authorities as a result of female-initiated domestic violence. Moreover, the same patterns have also been identified in same-sex relationships between males (Dutton, 2011). Taken together, the research to date confirms the harsh realities of domestic abuse against men as well as highlights the need for additional studies in this area. To this end, the proposed study will be guided by the research questions outlined below.
Research Questions
1. Why do men continue to stay silent about being abused?
2. How is domestic violence different for men compared to women?
3. What obstacles do men face when trying to prove that they are victims of domestic violence?
Purpose
The overarching purpose of this qualitative study is to develop timely and informed answers to the above-listed research questions.
Literature Review
While domestic abuse directed against men has been recognized for several decades and the overwhelming majority (98%) of men in North America are against domestic abuse in any form (Dutton, 2011), far too many men continue to suffer in silence in abusive relationships for several of the same reasons that compel abused women to stay, but there are also some compounding factors that must be taken into account when examining domestic violence directed against men. In this regard, Dutton (2011) emphasizes that, “The attribution of female domestic violence to self-defense has been a shibboleth in the gender-biased world. It was invented as an explanation for the potentially embarrassing yet persistent finding that females perpetrated violence against their intimate partners as much or more than males” (p. 29).
Indeed, social science researchers such as Geert Hofstede (2018) have confirmed time and again that despite impressive gains by women in recent years, the United States remains a male-dominated society. For instance, Hofstede concludes that, “The score of the US on Masculinity is high at 62, and this can be seen in the typical American behavioral patterns. This can be explained by the combination of a high Masculinity drive together with the most Individualist drive in the world” (U.S. masculinity, 2018, para. 4). Given these findings, it is reasonable to suggest that there are some underlying dynamics that are involved that defy easy explanation but which exacerbate the propensity of many American women to engage in domestic abuse against their intimate partners.
Certainly, any type of intimate relationship is typically fraught with problems such as money or sexual issues which can result in heated exchanges between partners, but when these exchanges rise to the level of abusive behaviors, a growing body of evidence confirms that men are just as prone to such abuse as women. It is important to note, though, that domestic violence exists along a continuum ranging from relatively benign, isolated episodes such as a sharp word or passing insult all the way to homicide. As Liebler and Hatef (2016) point out, “People generally agree that physical acts such as punching or forced sex constitute domestic violence, although less agreement is found for forms of verbal aggression or behaviors such as stalking” (p. 7). While precise figures are unavailable, the most current estimates suggest that about 12% of American men report having been stalked by a female predator who made them fearful for their safety and even their lives (Men can be victims of abuse, too, 2014).
As noted above, while additional scholarship in this area is needed, most authorities believe that even the highest estimates of female-initiated domestic abuse are low, and conjecture that the reasons for this disparity in reported domestic abuse rates can be attributed to the following factors:
· Men are socialized not to express their feelings or see themselves as victims;
· Pervading beliefs or stereotypes about men being abusers, women being victims;
· The abuse of men is often treated as less serious, or a “joke”; and,
· Many believe there are no resources or support available for male victims (Men can be victims of abuse, too, 2014).
While the first three factors are not unique to the United States and likely apply to all masculine societies, the final factor is especially erroneous since there is a wide array of community-based resources that can help male victims of domestic violence. Nevertheless, unless and until American men are able to shrug off the stigma that is associated with being victimized by an intimate female partner, they will continue to suffer in silence and many will die as a result of such abuse.
Methods
The proposed study will use a qualitative research design to develop informed answers to the above-stated guiding research questions. The research design will consist of a document analysis as well as a series of focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The findings that emerge from the document analysis will be used to develop discussion topics for the focus groups and the results of this phase of the proposed study will be used to identify prospective interviewees for follow-up questions. The only qualifying criterion for inclusion in focus groups will be a self-reported history of female-initiated domestic abuse in any form and the only qualifying criteria for inclusion in the follow-up semi-structured interviews will be a demonstrated willingness to express honest opinions and views during the focus group sessions and a willingness to volunteer for such interviews without compensation. The minimum goal for participation in the three focus groups is at least five men each from which three participants will be selected for the follow-up semi-structured interviews.
This research design provides a triangulated view of the issues of interest in general and those that relate to the study’s guiding research questions in particular. In addition, this research strategy will also enhance the reliability and trustworthiness of the findings that emerge from each of the three methodological elements. In this regard, Neuman (2003) reports that, “Triangulation is a term borrowed from surveying the land that says looking at an object from several different points gives a more accurate view of it” (p. 547). Notwithstanding the enhanced reliability and trustworthiness that a triangulated research strategy can provide, all qualitative studies are characterized by some distinct limitations and these are discussed below.
Limitations
The study’s above-listed guiding research questions are reiterated below for context:
1. Why do men continue to stay silent about being abused?
2. How is domestic violence different for men compared to women?
3. What obstacles do men face when trying to prove that they are victims of domestic violence?
Each of the three elements of the triangulated research design has some limitations that must be taken into account when analyzing the resulting findings used to develop answers to the above-listed research questions. For example, the findings from the document analysis may be adversely affected by researcher bias in terms of which studies and fact sheets are selected for inclusion in the study (Karimov, Brengman & Van Hove, 2011).
Likewise, the analysis of the verbal exchanges that take place in focus groups requires transcription and coding to identify common themes, metaphors and patterns that are applicable to the research questions of interest (Neuman, 2003). This analysis can be facilitated through the use of social research data analysis tools such as nVivo or even an Excel spreadsheet to record notes as they occur during the research process in order to identify common patterns in document analysis, focus groups and semi-structured interviews.
Finally, although semi-structured interviews have a proven track record of effectiveness and provide field researchers with greater opportunities to probe with follow-up questions to especially interesting or relevant answers (Neuman, 2003), the interpretation of these results is also fraught with chances for researcher bias to creep in, making the need for enhanced rigor in the study design of paramount importance (Cyprus, 2017). In this context, rigorous means “Rigorous (“trustworthy”) research is research that applies the appropriate research tools to meet the stated objectives of the investigation” (Rigor in qualitative and quantitative research, 2018, para. 4).
Some of the questions that can help determine the level of the rigorousness and credibility of a study’s research design and findings include the following, together with answers based on the foregoing methodological description:
· Do the data collection tools produce information that is appropriate for the level of precision required in the analysis? The triangulated research design that will be employed in the proposed study enhances the rigorousness and credibility of qualitative studies (Neuman, 2003).
· Do the tools maximize the chance of identifying the full range of phenomenon of interest? The step-wise fashion in which the three elements of the research design will be applied will maximize the chances of identifying the full range of factors that discourage male victims of domestic abuse from contacting law enforcement authorities or otherwise seeking community-based assistance.
· To what degree are the collection techniques likely to generate the appropriate level of detail needed for addressing the research question(s)? The proposed study’s above-listed three guiding research questions are each tied to the central theme of identifying the various factors that discourage male victims of domestic violence from reporting abusive episodes to law enforcement authorities and/or seeking counseling and other assistance from community-based resources.
· To what degree do the tools maximize the chance of producing data with discernible patterns? By proceeding in a step-wise fashion, the proposed study’s research design maximizes the chances of producing relevant data with discernible patterns through analysis of the findings that emerge from each of the three elements.
A final limitation of the proposed study is the relatively small number of subjects that will be involved, a constraint that will adversely affect the transferability of the findings that emerge from the data analysis, especially with respect to age, region of the country, and socioeconomic status.


References
Carney, A. Y. (2014, March/April). Incarcerated women and domestic violence. American Jails, 28(1), 36-40.
Cyprus, B. S. (2017, July/August). Rigor or reliability and validity in qualitative research: Perspectives, strategies, reconceptualization, and recommendations. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 36(4), 253-263.
Domestic violence fact sheet. (2018). NCADV. Retrieved from https://www.speakcdn.com/ assets/2497/domestic_violence2.pdf.
Domestic violence statistics. (2018). NCADV. Retrieved from https://ncadv.org/statistics.
Dutton, D. (2011, July-August). An ongoing battle: Is domestic violence really (mostly) men's fault? Literary Review of Canada, 19(6), 28-32.
Karimov, F. P., Brengman, M. & Van Hove, L. (2011). The effect of Website design dimensions on initial trust: a synthesis of the empirical literature. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 12(4), 272-273.
Liebler, C. M. & Hatef, A. (2016, Winter). Domestic violence as entertainment: Gender, role congruity and reality television. Media Report to Women, 44(1), 6-9.
Men can be victims of abuse, too. (2014). The National Domestic Violence Hotline. Retrieved from http://www.thehotline.org/2014/07/22/men-can-be-victims-of-abuse-too/.
Neuman, W. L. (2003). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches, 5th ed. New York: Allyn & Bacon
Phelan, M. B., Hamberger, L. K., Guse, C. E., Edwards, S., & al, e. (2005). Domestic violence among male and female patients seeking emergency medical services. Violence and Victims, 20(2), 187-206. Retrieved from https://login.libproxy.edmc.edu/login? url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/208526690? accountid=34899.
Rigor in qualitative and quantitative research. (2018). Atlas Research. Retrieved from https://atlasti.com/rigor-social-science-research/.
U.S. masculinity. (2018). Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions. Retrieved from https://www. hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/the-usa/.


Appendix A
Proforma Informed Consent Form
Informed consent will be obtained following university guidelines and will include the following details:
· Identification of the researcher
· Sponsoring institution
· Purpose of the study
· Benefits or risk of participating
· Type of participant involvement
· Confidentiality guarantee
· Assurance of participant opportunity to withdraw
· Who to contact if there are any questions