General Article Male victims of domestic abuse face barriers to accessing support services – new study

Topic Selected: Domestic Abuse Book Volume: 370
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Men fear they will be accused of being the perpetrators. Mivolchan19/Shutterstock

Eszter Szilassy, University of Bristol

Men who experience domestic violence and abuse face significant barriers to getting help and access to specialist support services, our latest study shows.

Although the amount, severity and impact of domestic violence and abuse experienced by women is much higher than that experienced by men, men can also suffer significantly as a result of abuse from a partner, ex-partner or an adult family member.

An earlier study of 1,368 male patients in GP clinic waiting rooms in the UK found that more than one in four had experienced abusive behaviour from a partner or ex-partner. They were also between two and three times more likely to have symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The experiences of many men who are survivors of domestic violence and abuse are similar to those of women. Like female survivors, they find it hard to identify coercion and control as abuse, and t...

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