Theoretical Considerations on Men’s Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence: An Interview-Based Study

Towards understanding the Nordic paradox: A review of qualitative interview studies on intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Sweden

“…The impact of IPVAW on the health (Örmon, Torstensson Levander, Sunnqvist, & Bahtsevani, ; Scheffer Lindgren & Renck, ), economy (Eriksson & Ulmestig, ; Ulmestig & Eriksson, ), and working life (Alsaker et al, ) of victims has been analyzed. Experiences and narratives of male IPV perpetrators (Boethius, ; Edin & Nilsson, ; Gottzén, ; Gottzén, ; Gottzén, , , ; Håland, Lundgren, Lidén, & Eri, ; Hydén, , , 1995; Jansson, ; Lennéer‐Axelson, [1989]; Lundgren, ) and victims (Hellgren, Andersson, & Burcar Alm, ; Nybergh, Enander, & Krantz, ; Simmons, Brüggemann, & Swahnberg, ) have also been studied, as has the importance of social networks for responses to IPVAW (Hydén, ; Hydén, ; Sandberg, ).…”

“…While these developments enable more inclusive perspectives on IPV (e.g., Hellgren et al, 2015), researchers warn that they have tended to come alongside a shift from a more structural understanding of violence toward focus on specific groups or relationships (Brännvall, 2016;Ekström, 2011Ekström, , 2018Helmersson, 2017). Research on male IPV victims relates, further, to the gender symmetry debate (e.g., Nybergh et al, 2015), in which it is posited that men and women are comparably violent in intimate relationships. This notion has been debated, for example with reference to Johnson's (2011) typology of different forms of IPV (intimate terrorism, violent resistance, and situational couple violence; Nybergh et al, 2015), through studies showing that male victims do not describe levels of fear or loss of control comparable to those of female victims (Boethius, 2015;Hellgren et al, 2015;Nybergh et al, 2015), suggesting that men reporting IPV exposure have sometimes also perpetrated (more severe) IPV (Boethius, 2015;Nybergh et al, 2015;Uhnoo, 2011), and arguing that women generally do not have the same ability as men to reinforce societal inequalities for example through economic or sexualized violence.…”

“…Research on male IPV victims relates, further, to the gender symmetry debate (e.g., Nybergh et al, 2015), in which it is posited that men and women are comparably violent in intimate relationships. This notion has been debated, for example with reference to Johnson's (2011) typology of different forms of IPV (intimate terrorism, violent resistance, and situational couple violence; Nybergh et al, 2015), through studies showing that male victims do not describe levels of fear or loss of control comparable to those of female victims (Boethius, 2015;Hellgren et al, 2015;Nybergh et al, 2015), suggesting that men reporting IPV exposure have sometimes also perpetrated (more severe) IPV (Boethius, 2015;Nybergh et al, 2015;Uhnoo, 2011), and arguing that women generally do not have the same ability as men to reinforce societal inequalities for example through economic or sexualized violence. While male victimhood must of course be taken seriously, the mentioned research suggests that, in general, women's and men's experiences of IPV tend to differ in opposite-sex relationships (BRÅ, 2010;Nybergh et al, 2015).…”

“…While Nordic qualitative IPVAW research is quite dominated by feminist perspectives, considering gender inequalities (Agevall, 2012;Brännvall, 2016;Helmersson, 2017;Holmberg & Enander, 2005;Hydén, 1992;Lundgren, 1992) and masculinity norms (Enander, 2010b;Gottzén, 2013bGottzén, , 2014, many researchers blend a feminist approach with other more socially or individually oriented perspectives (Edin et al, 2008;Jansson, 2018;Nybergh et al, 2015), often with reference to the ecological model developed by Heise (1998) and recommended by WHO (Krug, Mercy, Dahlberg, & Zwi, 2002;Edin et al, 2009;Fernbrant, Essen, & Cantor-Graae, 2013;Rejmer et al, 2010;Scheffer Lindgren & Renck, 2008a). Thus, IPVAW is typically perceived as a complex problem which cannot be explained or addressed unidimensionally.…”

“…Conforming to hegemonic masculinity has been identified as an influence towards IPV nondisclosure in health care, while help is often sought from female professionals (Simmons et al, 2016). Victimized men have further described being scorned with sexist or homophobic language, by violent partners, for not fulfilling masculinity norms (Nybergh et al, 2015). IPV against men has also been interpreted by social workers as being triggered by a lack of masculine traits (Kullberg et al, 2015).…”