Was your domestic violence awareness training evidence-based?
The Metropolitan Police (2009) have defined domestic violence as:
“Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour,
violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse:
• psychological
• physical
• sexual
• financial
• emotional”[1]
This article addresses the common misconception that domestic violence is a gendered crime. Educational information on domestic violence for medical students is sometimes presented in dramatic and emotive ways, such as:
“Research shows that domestic violence is most commonly experienced by women and perpetrated by men....
2 - The number of women killed every week by a current or former partner.
20% - The percentage of women in England and Wales who say they have been physically assaulted by a partner at some point.”[2]
A similar picture has been portrayed in educational material for trainee general practitioners.
“Crime statistics show that the vast majority of cases are committed by men.”[3]
These statements are good for catching attention, but are they evidence based? A quick analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales 2010/11 revealed that among men and women aged 16 to 59, 4% of men and 6.4% of women had experienced domestic abuse over the last year.[4] Based on a population for that age group of 33071100 two women being killed each week represents 0.005% of the domestic violence in England and Wales.[5] While the statements above are not inaccurate, presentation of these statistics while neglecting to mention that 17% of men have been subjected to domestic abuse since the age of 16 could perpetuate the illusion that domestic violence is a gendered crime[4] and reinforce a “women good, men bad” prejudice.[6] While emotive misrepresentation of statistics features commonly in politics, it arguably has no place in the scientific education of healthcare professionals.
If the majority of perpetrators of domestic violence are men, one might expect people in relationships with men to be statistically at greater risk of intimate partner violence than people in relationships with women. This hypothesis is contrary to the evidence that women are at greater risk of intimate partner violence in homosexual relationships than in heterosexual relationships, while men are at greater risk in heterosexual relationships than in homosexual relationships.[7] Female on-male domestic abuse may be under-reported due to cultural barriers. Of 176 people surveyed in one study, 76% said they would definitely report father-daughter abuse, while only 46% said they would definitely report mother-son abuse.[8] Male victims of domestic violence may experience ridicule[9] to the extent that even male genital mutilation has been the subject of humor in mainstream media.[10] Crime statistics may therefore be a poor source for comparisons of domestic violence by gender.
Meta-analysis by Archer[11] and several papers since have shown that in younger age groups, women and girls are more likely to instigate domestic violence than men or boys though women are more likely to be injured than men in reciprocally violent relationships.[12, 13, 14, 15, 16]. Recent research has shown that women use more controlling behaviours, and confirmed that women are more likely to be violent than men in intimate relationships[17]. In the case of abuse of minors, data from the United States National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System suggests that more than half (53.5%) of perpetrators are women[18]. Of child fatalities due to abuse involving only one parent, 67% involved the mother while 33% involved the father[18]. Health and social care professionals should therefore be trained to be equality wary of the risks posed by men and women and the vulnerabilities of all genders with regards to domestic violence[19] and if domestic violence services must be segregated by gender, half of them should be designated for men and children; half for women and children.
References:
1. Metropolitan Police (2009) Domestic Violence Policy Version 2.1 http://www.met.police.uk/foi/pdfs/policies/domestic_violence_policy_v2_1... Accessed 21/6/2014
2. Lock T., Barran I (2012) Domestic Violence & Pregnancy. Leeway: Norwich
3. Sohal A., Feder G., Johnson M. (2012) Domestic violence and abuse. InnovAiT, 5(12):750–758
4. Chaplin R, Flatley J, Smith K (2011) Crime Survey for England and Wales 2010/11. Home Office: London
5. Office for National statistics (2011) Population Estimates Quinary Age Groups for UK Constituent Countries - Mid 1971 to Mid-2010. Retrieved from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--... Accessed 28/5/2012
6. Community Care (2012) What about dad? Retrieved from: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/static-pages/articles/engaging-fathers/ Accessed 28/5/2012
7. Walters M. L., Chen J., Breiding M.J. (2013) The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention: Atlanta
8. Koski P.R., Mangold W.D. (1988) Gender effects in attitudes about family violence. Journal of Family Violence 3(3): 225-237
9. Wilkins A. (2011) Research led me to be more aware of domestic violence against men. Nursing Standard, 26(3), 26
10. Hughes S.A. (2011) ‘The Talk’ ladies under fire for laughing at Catherine Kieu story. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/the-talk-ladies-u... Accessed 21/6/2014
11. Archer J. (2000) Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin 126(5):651-680
12. Straus M.A. (2004) Prevalence of violence against dating partners by male and female university students Worldwide. Violence Against Women, 10(7): 790-811
13. Straus M.A. (2006) Dominance and symmetry in partner violence by male and female university students in 32 nations. Paper presented at conference on Trends In Intimate Violence Intervention, sponsored by the University of Haifa and New York University. New York University, May 23, 2006
14. Straus M.A., Ramirez L. (2004) Criminal history and assault of dating partners: The role of type of prior crime, age of onset, and gender. Violence and Victims, 19(4): 413-434
15. Whitaker DJ, Haileyesus T, Swahn M, Saltzman LS (2007) Differences in frequency of violence and reported injury between relationships with reciprocal and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence. American Journal of Public Health, 97(5), 941-947.
16. Mulford C., Giordano P.C. (2008) Teen Dating Violence: A Closer Look at Adolescent Romantic Relationships. National Institute of Justice Journal 261: 34-40
17. Merz T. (2014) Women are ‘more controlling and aggressive than men’ in relationships. Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/10927507/Women-are-more-con... Accessed 13/8/2014
18. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Children and Families; Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Children’s Bureau (2012) Child Maltreatment 2012. Washington, D.C.: Walter R. McDonald & Associates
19. Turell S.C. (2000) A descriptive analysis of same-sex relationship violence for a diverse sample. Journal of Family Violence, 15(3): 281-293
Competing interests:
No competing interests
11 June 2015
Amy Wilkins
Staff Nurse
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
North Walsham and District War Memorial Hospital, Yarmouth Road, North Walsham, Norfolk, NR28 9AP
Rapid Response:
Was your domestic violence awareness training evidence-based?
The Metropolitan Police (2009) have defined domestic violence as:
“Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour,
violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse:
• psychological
• physical
• sexual
• financial
• emotional”[1]
This article addresses the common misconception that domestic violence is a gendered crime. Educational information on domestic violence for medical students is sometimes presented in dramatic and emotive ways, such as:
“Research shows that domestic violence is most commonly experienced by women and perpetrated by men....
2 - The number of women killed every week by a current or former partner.
20% - The percentage of women in England and Wales who say they have been physically assaulted by a partner at some point.”[2]
A similar picture has been portrayed in educational material for trainee general practitioners.
“Crime statistics show that the vast majority of cases are committed by men.”[3]
These statements are good for catching attention, but are they evidence based? A quick analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales 2010/11 revealed that among men and women aged 16 to 59, 4% of men and 6.4% of women had experienced domestic abuse over the last year.[4] Based on a population for that age group of 33071100 two women being killed each week represents 0.005% of the domestic violence in England and Wales.[5] While the statements above are not inaccurate, presentation of these statistics while neglecting to mention that 17% of men have been subjected to domestic abuse since the age of 16 could perpetuate the illusion that domestic violence is a gendered crime[4] and reinforce a “women good, men bad” prejudice.[6] While emotive misrepresentation of statistics features commonly in politics, it arguably has no place in the scientific education of healthcare professionals.
If the majority of perpetrators of domestic violence are men, one might expect people in relationships with men to be statistically at greater risk of intimate partner violence than people in relationships with women. This hypothesis is contrary to the evidence that women are at greater risk of intimate partner violence in homosexual relationships than in heterosexual relationships, while men are at greater risk in heterosexual relationships than in homosexual relationships.[7] Female on-male domestic abuse may be under-reported due to cultural barriers. Of 176 people surveyed in one study, 76% said they would definitely report father-daughter abuse, while only 46% said they would definitely report mother-son abuse.[8] Male victims of domestic violence may experience ridicule[9] to the extent that even male genital mutilation has been the subject of humor in mainstream media.[10] Crime statistics may therefore be a poor source for comparisons of domestic violence by gender.
Meta-analysis by Archer[11] and several papers since have shown that in younger age groups, women and girls are more likely to instigate domestic violence than men or boys though women are more likely to be injured than men in reciprocally violent relationships.[12, 13, 14, 15, 16]. Recent research has shown that women use more controlling behaviours, and confirmed that women are more likely to be violent than men in intimate relationships[17]. In the case of abuse of minors, data from the United States National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System suggests that more than half (53.5%) of perpetrators are women[18]. Of child fatalities due to abuse involving only one parent, 67% involved the mother while 33% involved the father[18]. Health and social care professionals should therefore be trained to be equality wary of the risks posed by men and women and the vulnerabilities of all genders with regards to domestic violence[19] and if domestic violence services must be segregated by gender, half of them should be designated for men and children; half for women and children.
References:
1. Metropolitan Police (2009) Domestic Violence Policy Version 2.1 http://www.met.police.uk/foi/pdfs/policies/domestic_violence_policy_v2_1... Accessed 21/6/2014
2. Lock T., Barran I (2012) Domestic Violence & Pregnancy. Leeway: Norwich
3. Sohal A., Feder G., Johnson M. (2012) Domestic violence and abuse. InnovAiT, 5(12):750–758
4. Chaplin R, Flatley J, Smith K (2011) Crime Survey for England and Wales 2010/11. Home Office: London
5. Office for National statistics (2011) Population Estimates Quinary Age Groups for UK Constituent Countries - Mid 1971 to Mid-2010. Retrieved from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--... Accessed 28/5/2012
6. Community Care (2012) What about dad? Retrieved from: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/static-pages/articles/engaging-fathers/ Accessed 28/5/2012
7. Walters M. L., Chen J., Breiding M.J. (2013) The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention: Atlanta
8. Koski P.R., Mangold W.D. (1988) Gender effects in attitudes about family violence. Journal of Family Violence 3(3): 225-237
9. Wilkins A. (2011) Research led me to be more aware of domestic violence against men. Nursing Standard, 26(3), 26
10. Hughes S.A. (2011) ‘The Talk’ ladies under fire for laughing at Catherine Kieu story. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/the-talk-ladies-u... Accessed 21/6/2014
11. Archer J. (2000) Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin 126(5):651-680
12. Straus M.A. (2004) Prevalence of violence against dating partners by male and female university students Worldwide. Violence Against Women, 10(7): 790-811
13. Straus M.A. (2006) Dominance and symmetry in partner violence by male and female university students in 32 nations. Paper presented at conference on Trends In Intimate Violence Intervention, sponsored by the University of Haifa and New York University. New York University, May 23, 2006
14. Straus M.A., Ramirez L. (2004) Criminal history and assault of dating partners: The role of type of prior crime, age of onset, and gender. Violence and Victims, 19(4): 413-434
15. Whitaker DJ, Haileyesus T, Swahn M, Saltzman LS (2007) Differences in frequency of violence and reported injury between relationships with reciprocal and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence. American Journal of Public Health, 97(5), 941-947.
16. Mulford C., Giordano P.C. (2008) Teen Dating Violence: A Closer Look at Adolescent Romantic Relationships. National Institute of Justice Journal 261: 34-40
17. Merz T. (2014) Women are ‘more controlling and aggressive than men’ in relationships. Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/10927507/Women-are-more-con... Accessed 13/8/2014
18. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Children and Families; Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Children’s Bureau (2012) Child Maltreatment 2012. Washington, D.C.: Walter R. McDonald & Associates
19. Turell S.C. (2000) A descriptive analysis of same-sex relationship violence for a diverse sample. Journal of Family Violence, 15(3): 281-293
Competing interests: No competing interests