Domestic violence : men as victims

Abstract

Domestic violence is a horrendous crime that has affected approximately every household at some time in some form. This controversy has dominated the media's attention in the political arenas, and even in the professional world in which many people live and work. The United States has been mandated by new domestic laws that are being enacted to find appropriate actions to combat domestic violence. They are being compelled to formulate solutions to these problems and the complicated issues of domestic violence within its ranks. Many voices have been heard from various avenues of expertise and professions. The harsh reality has caught the attentions of the majority of victims that are females, with males once again being the perpetrators of such actions. After conducting and compiling an extensive literature review on this topic, the subject of male victims has yielded interesting enlightenments. These enlightenments have created the need for further investigation into male victims, with females as the perpetrators. These issues have also been supported by various voices with different stances for why this form of domestic violence has occurred within the United States. Time and consideration must also be expended on the idea of male battering, as it has been subsequently dedicated to its converse in order to understand its multifaceted components. Questionnaires were sent to mental health providers in the state of Ohio, who are concerned with various family issues. They were asked to provide pertinent information on the magnitude of this crime and to provide demographic information about each of the male victims and the female offenders of domestic violence that they have encountered in their family practices. Police chiefs and other police personnel, also in the state of Ohio, were surveyed who have had experience with male victims and female perpetrators of domestic violence. They were asked for the same kinds of information as the mental health experts. Questions were also asked about field specific areas. In addition to this information, police chiefs and other police personnel were asked to explain how their officers responded to the crime of domestic violence within today's society. This study's findings have concluded some of the same findings that were identified in the literature review. Alcohol and drug abuse is directly linked to male battering, just as they are positively tied to the other forms of domestic violence. Age also plays an integral part in this linkage as well, although there are different age groups affected, young adult (20s) were more frequently involved in domestic violence. Educational attainment, employment status, and social-economic class also seems to have great effects on male battering cases. The lower the employment status, the social-economic class, and education levels there seems to be a higher concentration of male victims and female batterers.