The Mental Health Needs and Priorities of Male Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

BACKGROUND: Although the body of literature on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against heterosexual men has grown, their mental health needs and priorities in the aftermath of IPV remain under researched. METHODOLOGY: Within the epistemological framework of critical realism, a qualitative research design was applied to explore the self-identified mental health needs and priorities of male survivors of IPV. A purposive sample of eleven survivors from the UK, between the ages of 40-70, was recruited remotely. FINDINGS: Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) was applied to analyse the findings. Four themes were constructed: a) “The many fragments of me – the toll of IPV”, b) “an interplay with social structures”, c) “breaking the silence: safe spaces to talk and IPV awareness”, and d) “supporting male survivors -what should clinical psychologists know?”. Participants’ accounts demonstrate the detrimental impact of IPV on their mental health. Loneliness, social and resource losses, perception of loss of self-identity and self-esteem reported, highlight that a sole focus on symptom reduction may be inadequate to address the needs of male survivors of IPV. Participants described navigating societal structures, experiencing discrimination, disbelief and invisibility. A safe space to talk and increasing public and professional awareness of IPV against men were raised as the most immediate needs of survivors. In terms of therapeutic work, participants described the value of validation and being part of a group with other survivors. Socialisation of male gender may affect the time needed for men to open up within a therapeutic context. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings highlight the complexity of survivors’ needs requiring trauma-informed, evidence based, holistic care. Implementation of a gender inclusive approach and increase of public and professional awareness of IPV against men is needed.