Citation

Flinck A, Paavilainen E. Am. J. Men. Health 2008; 2(3): 244-253.

Affiliation

Department of Nursing Science, 33014 University of Tampere, Finland. aune.flinck@uta.fi

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1557988308321674

PMID

19477787

Abstract

Violence against women has been extensively studied in various disciplines, whereas less attention has been paid to the experiences of men. Even the violent behavior of men in their intimate relationships has been mostly studied as experienced by women. This study follows Husserlian descriptive phenomenology. Twenty open-ended interviews were conducted with 10 Finnish men with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV). The data were analyzed by the method developed by Colaizzi. Findings suggested that men considered communication and dynamics of the relationship important. Fundamentally, these abusive men had a need to be respected as men, and they sought to experience human dignity. It is necessary to readjust the framework on interpersonal violence, listen to the voice of men, and develop prevention, early identification, and supportive intervention strategies for men, couples, and families. Research on IPV should be expanded to include the experiences of both genders.

Language: en