Domestic Violence Against Men and Boys: Experiences of Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence is a unique book that brings together contemporary research and practice around working with men and boys who are victims of domestic violence and abuse. The book features contributions from experts within the field who draw on the wide range of evidence that demonstrates the multifarious experiences and impacts of this victimisation.

This text focusses on the increasing evidence related to the prevalence of domestic violence and abuse within the family towards men and boys. With contributions from experts within the field, this book covers a comprehensive list of topics derived from empirical evidence. The chapters focus on key themes, such as, experience of the abuse; challenges to the current theory; barriers and experiences of help-seeking; impact on children, and working with male victims within practice and criminal justice settings. Further, the text underscores numerous recommendations around changing current practices to enable a better support system for men and boys. The text will therefore be invaluable in increasing awareness of the research and support in the field of domestic violence.

This book will be of use to researchers, practitioners and educators working in the field of domestic violence and abuse. It will also be beneficial to policy makers who are reviewing legislation and those involved in commissioning psychological services, and victim services that work with male victims.

About the Author

Elizabeth A. Bates is a Principal Lecturer in Psychology and Psychological Therapies at the University of Cumbria, UK. Her research focusses on working with male victims of domestic violence including their experience of physical and psychological abuse, the impact on them, and the ways in which abuse can continue and change post-separation.

Julie C. Taylor is the Head of Learning, Teaching and Student Experience within the Institute of Health at the University of Cumbria, UK. A recurrent theme of her research and practice has been meaningful stakeholder engagement and seeking to use research and evaluation methods that facilitate this. Her current research includes exploring children and young people's experiences of domestic violence.

Reviews

"The new volume on male domestic violence victimization, edited by domestic violence scholars Elizabeth Bates and Julie Taylor, is a welcome addition to the growing literature on this much-neglected topic. The book provides a nice balance of empirical research findings and qualitative accounts from men whose voices are almost never heard elsewhere. As a research scholar, and as a clinician who has worked with both male and female domestic violence victims, as well as their abusers, for over three decades, I found the data presented to be accurate and up-to-date, and the personal accounts very much rang true. In particular, the chapter on men's experiences as victims of coercive control reminds us that while women are far more impacted by physical abuse, the consequences of psychological abuse are much more comparable across gender. The sections on family violence and post-separation abuse provided an enlightening set of findings with implications for disputed child custody cases, where gendered assumptions of domestic violence have for years unnecessarily kept fathers from their children, and anyone concerned about the safety of victims ought to be concerned about the findings presented in the chapter on obstacles male victims face when seeking services."

John Hamel, PhD, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Private Practice and Editor-in-Chief of Partner Abuse.

"E. Bates and J. Taylor's book presents an excellent and incisive analysis of different long-neglected issues that affect men who experience intimate partner violence. While the research on men's partner victimization has been growing in the past ten-fifteen years, the book chapters cover a broad yet powerfully nuanced array of knowledge in this area, including men's experiences of partner violence within the LGBTQ+ community, men's experiences of coercive control and post-separation abuse, boys' victimization within the family, and older men's experiences of abuse. While men's victimization is often considered a controversial issue, this book provides a balanced and nuanced analysis of the complexities of partner violence with the focus on men. Authors strongly support the use of gender-inclusive as opposed to gender-neutral language to highlight the importance of engaging consideration of men as not only the perpetrators but also as victims of abuse. As a compelling and informative work, this book is a must read for academics and practitioners alike, who seek to expand their knowledge and understanding of the challenges that men who experience partner violence face in different types of relationships and different contexts. I commend and admire Elizabeth Bates and Julie Taylor for putting together this book!"

Alexandra (Sasha) Lysova, Associate Professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Canada.

"Finally, here is a book that provides a resounding counterpoint to the gender-based violence discourse that focuses exclusively on female and child victimization - a discourse that has dominated global policy and politics about intimate partner violence for decades. Scientific evidence has been accumulating about the parity and impact of IPV on men and boys, yet this research and the experiences of these victims have been largely neglected and portrayed as anomalous or trivial. Bates and Taylor have compiled a set of chapters addressing a variety of topics that have been ignored in this larger IPV discourse, (e.g., intimate partner violence in the lives of gay, bisexual, and transgender men), each written in a balanced way by leading IPV scientists and scholars. The chapter authors not only review research evidence on the impact of IPV on men and boys, but they highlight topics that are ripe for scientific inquiry and understanding."

Jennifer J. Harman, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, USA.

Book Information
ISBN 9780367545369
Author Elizabeth A. Bates
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 440g