Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2021

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Megan L. Haselschwerdt

Committee Members

Elizabeth I. Johnson, Deadric T. Williams

Abstract

Guided by hegemonic masculinity and intersectionality theories, this descriptive, exploratory thesis examined Black men’s intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization experiences, subsequent help-seeking decisions, and barriers to help-seeking. Even though IPV is generally associated with women, it has been documented that men also experience sexual, physical, and/or psychological abuse. The experiences of Black men as victims has been overlooked within the IPV literature, and less is known about their help-seeking decision making, as well as the barriers they face if and when they do seek help. Whether Black men are more or less likely to seek informal (e.g., friends), formal (e.g., shelter, psychologist), or legal (e.g., police) support is unknown. Given masculine expectations within relationships and a history of police, legal system, and medical maltreatment, Black men may face unique help-seeking barriers. To begin exploring Black men’s experiences, two research questions guided this study: (1) What are Black men's experiences of IPV-related help-seeking? (2) What barriers do Black men face when seeking IPV-related help and support? 54 Black men participated in an online survey on their IPV experiences via the crowdsourcing platform Prolific. Overall, the men who participated in this study experienced relatively low levels of minor and severe physical and sexual violence victimization, as well as lower levels of coercive controlling violence, suggesting this sample is comprised of men who experience situational couple versus coercive controlling violence. All but one participant utilized at least one help-seeking strategy. Consistent with the adult women literature, informal strategies were most common utilized, whereas legal strategies were least commonly utilized. The degree to which participants perceived each strategy as helpful was quite variable, such that staying with friends or family was the most helpful strategy yet 47.8% found it unhelpful. The most common help-seeking barriers (e.g., wanting to solve the problem on their own) overlap with hegemonic masculinity and Black men’s experiences. with formal and legal systems, relating less to the internalized and anticipated stigma subscales created for women. Broadly this study helps illustrate the need for researchers to focus on developing measures and interventions tailored to Black men and their experiences.

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