One in five American men admitted that they have used domestic violence on their spouse or partner, a new study finds.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan. Researchers analyzed data available from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication from 2001-2003. The survey assesses intimate partner violence and characteristics among male perpetrators. The study included 530 men, aged an average of 42 years. Roughly 78 percent were non-Hispanic white, 56 percent were educated beyond high school and 84 percent were employed.
"When people think of men who abuse their partners, they often think of violent people who they have never come across, or people they have only heard about in the news," lead author Vijay Singh, a clinical lecturer in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a press statement. "However, our study showed one out of every five men in the U.S. reported physical violence toward an intimate partner. It's likely that we've all met these men in our daily environment. This is an issue that cuts across all communities, regardless of race, income or any other demographics."
The researchers also found that more than half of the men who reported violence toward a partner had at least one routine health visit over the past year and nearly one third noted at least one emergency room visit over the past year.
"Most of our efforts to prevent intimate partner violence have focused on screening and improving outcomes for women who are victims, because their health and well-being is our priority. Very little work, however, has been done on how to identify male perpetrators," said Singh. "Our research shows that male perpetrators of intimate partner violence seek routine medical services, and they have physical symptoms that are common reasons patients seek medical care. This suggests that we may be missing an important opportunity in the primary care setting to identify their aggressive behavior and potentially intervene."
The researchers also found that male aggression toward a partner is associated with warning signs that could come up during routine health care visits, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and insomnia, in addition to better known risks like substance abuse and a history of either experiencing or witnessing violence as a child.
Singh and his colleagues noted that more studies need to be conducted to gain a better understanding of intervention programs that can curb male aggression against their partners.
Findings were published online in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. The project was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Veteran Affairs Clinical Scholars Program. Additional support was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Michigan Injury Center.
