“No one would ever believe me”: an exploration of the impact of intimate partner violence victimization on men

The aim of this study was to explore the impact of men’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a non-help-seeking sample. Utilising an anonymous online survey to encourage disclosure, men were asked how their experiences had impacted on them, what barriers they had experienced to leaving the relationship, and what their perceptions were of societal attitudes about men and IPV. Findings indicated that men’s experiences impacted on their physical and mental health, the development of future relationships, and their relationships with their children. They described the impact of attitudes towards male victims of IPV as being significant and felt society did not believe men who described these experiences, often perceiving them as “weak” or in fact “abusers”. These contributed towards the barriers men experience to both help-seeking and to leaving the relationship. The findings are discussed in relation to current UK policy and practice, including reference to IPV being treated as a gendered crime under a “Violence against Women and Girls” strategy (Ministry of Justice, 2018).