Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) by women against men has been the subject of much debate. Feminists typically argue that IPV is committed only by men against women. Others argue that violence is a human problem and women also commit much IPV. To resolve these debates, IPV has been classified into two categories: common couple violence captured by population-based studies, and patriarchal terrorism, captured by studies of battered women. This typology ignores male victims of extreme IPV. The current study addresses this omission by describing 190 male callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men. All callers experienced physical abuse from their female partners, and a substantial minority feared their wives’ violence and were stalked. Over 90% experienced controlling behaviors, and several men reported frustrating experiences with the domestic violence system. Callers’ reports indicated that their female abusers had a history of trauma, alcohol/drug problems, mental illness, and homicidal and suicidal ideations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
We use here the term “female partners” because the DAHM receives less than 4% of its calls per year from gay men.
References
Cate, R. M., Henton, J. M., Koval, J., Christopher, F. S., & Lloyd, S. (1982). Premarital abuse: A social psychological perspective. Journal of Family Issues, 3, 79–90.
Coleman, D. H., & Straus, M. A. (1983). Alcohol abuse and family violence. In E. Gottlheil, K. A. Druley, T. E. Skoloda, & H. M. Waxman (Eds.), Alcohol, drug abuse, and aggression (pp. 104–124). Springfield, IL: C.C. Thomas.
Dobash, R. E., & Dobash, R. P. (1988). Research as social action: The struggle for battered women. In K. Yllo & M. Bograd (Eds.), Feminist perspectives on wife abuse (pp. 51–74). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Dobash, R. P., Dobash, R. E., Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (1992). The myth of sexual symmetry in marital violence. Social Problems, 39, 71–91.
Felson, R. B. (2002). Violence and gender reexamined. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Felson, R. B., & Messner, S. F. (2000). The control motive in intimate partner violence. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63, 86–94.
Follingstad, D. R., Wright, S., Lloyd, S., & Sebastian, J. A. (1991). Sex differences in motivations and effects in dating violence. Family Relations, 40, 51–57.
Gondolf, E. W. (1999). Characteristics of court-mandated batterers in four cities. Violence Against Women, 5, 1277–1293.
Hines, D. A., & Malley-Morrison, K. (2001). Psychological effects of partner abuse against men: A neglected research area. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 2, 75–85.
Hines, D. A., & Saudino, K. J. (2003). Gender differences in psychological, physical, and sexual aggression among college students using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales. Violence and Victims, 18, 197–218.
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., & Stewart, G. L. (1994). Typologies of male batterers: Three subtypes and the differences among them. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 476–497.
Johnson, M. P. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 283–294.
Kurz, D. (1993). Physical assaults by husbands: A major social problem. In R. J. Gelles & D. R. Loseke (Eds.), Current controversies on family violence (pp. 88–103). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Makepeace, J. M. (1981). Courtship violence among college students. Family Relations, 30, 97–100.
McDonald, G. W. (1980). Family power: The assessment of a decade of theory and research, 1970–1979. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 10, 841–854.
Melton, H. C., & Belknap, J. (2003). He hits, she hits: Assessing gender differences and similarities in officially reported intimate partner violence. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 30, 328–348.
Morse, B. J. (1995). Beyond the conflict tactics scale: Assessing gender differences in partner violence. Violence and Victims, 10, 251–272.
Nosek, M. A., Howland, C. A., & Young, M. E. (1997). Abuse of women with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 8, 157–175.
O’Leary, K. D., Barling, J., Arias, I., Rosenbaum, A., Malone, J., & Tyree, A. (1989). Prevalence and stability of physical aggression between spouses: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 263–268.
Pence, E., & Paymar, M. (1983). Education groups for men who batter: The Duluth Model. New York: Springer.
Pleck, E., Pleck, J. H., Grossman, M., & Bart, P. B. (1977). The battered data syndrome: A comment on Steinmetz's article. Victimology: An International Journal, 2, 680–683.
Rennison, C. M. (2003). Intimate partner violence, 1993–2001. Retrieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ pub/pdf/ipv01.pdf.
Steinmetz, S. K. (1977). The battered husband syndrome. Victimology, 2, 499–509.
Straus, M. A. (1990). Injury and frequency of assault and the ‘representative sample fallcy’ in measuring wife beating and child abuse. In M. A. Straus & R. J. Gelles (Eds.), Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptations in 8,145 families (pp. 75–89). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
Straus, M. A. (1993). Physical assaults by wives: A major social problem. In R. J. Gelles & D. R. Loseke (Eds.), Current controversies on family violence (pp. 67–87). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Straus, M. A. (1997). Physical assaults by women partners: A major social problem. In M. R. Walsh (Ed.), Women, men, and gender: Ongoing debates (pp. 210–221). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Straus, M. A., & Gelles, R. J. (1986). Societal change and change in family violence from 1975 to 1985 as revealed by two national surveys. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 465–479.
Straus, M. A., & Gelles, R. J. (1988). How violent are American families? Estimates from the national family violence resurvey and other studies. In G. T. Hotaling, D. Finkelhor, J. T. Kirkpatrick, & M. A. Straus (Eds.), Family abuse and its consequences: New directions in research (pp. 14–36). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J., & Steinmetz, S. (1980). Behind closed doors: Violence in the American family. Garden City, NJ: Anchor.
Swan, S. C., & Snow, D. L. (2003). Behavioral and psychological differences among abused women who use violence in intimate relationships. Violence Against Women, 9, 75–109.
Walker, L. E. A. (1989). Psychology and violence against women. American Psychologist, 44, 695–702.
Walker, L. E. A. (2000). The battered woman syndrome (2nd edn.). New York: Springer.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Family Research Laboratory and Crimes Against Children Research Center's seminar group for their helpful comments on a previous version of this article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9091-1
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hines, D.A., Brown, J. & Dunning, E. Characteristics of Callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men. J Fam Viol 22, 63–72 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-006-9052-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-006-9052-0