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Sivagurunathan M, Walton DM, Packham T, Booth R, MacDermid J. "Punched in the Balls": Male Intimate Partner Violence Disclosures and Replies on Reddit. Am J Mens Health 2021; 15:15579883211039666. [PMID: 34414824 PMCID: PMC8396797 DOI: 10.1177/15579883211039666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on male intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors is limited. The sparse
research on male IPV disclosure suggest males receive more negative and less
helpful responses from potential sources of formal or informal support. Males
may seek support on social networking sites (SNSs), hence, it is important to
understand their emerging experiences of virtual disclosures. This study
examined the nature and content of responses to IPV disclosures by male IPV
survivors on a popular SNS (reddit.com). Search of Reddit submissions related to
male IPV were carried out using three IPV related keywords for the calendar
month of February 2019, resulting in 917 submissions. Twelve submissions that
focused on male IPV disclosure were examined in detail. The 12 submissions were
analyzed using quantitative content analysis while associated comments
(n = 569) were analyzed using qualitative approach.
Two-thirds of the disclosures (8/12) were of personal IPV experiences. All
disclosure narratives identified the sex of perpetrator, most stated the types
of abuse (7/12), and some revealed the outcomes of past disclosures (4/12). Six
major themes were developed through qualitative analysis of the associated
comments: (1) Informational Support, (2) Nurturant Support, (3) Tangible Aid,
(4) Negative Response (5) Self-Defence, and (6) Reciprocal Disclosure. Overall,
males experienced a majority of supportive responses to IPV disclosures and some
negative responses including criticism and minimizing the abuse. Males take
risks in disclosure of IPV in person and online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marudan Sivagurunathan
- Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - David M Walton
- Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Physical Therapy, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Tara Packham
- The School of Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Richard Booth
- Health Information Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Joy MacDermid
- Department of Physical Therapy, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,The School of Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Hand and Upper Limb Centre Clinical Research Laboratory, St. Joseph's Health Centre, London, ON, Canada
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