Asking the Right Questions: Screening Men for Partner Violence

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Clinical Psychology
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects men, with lifetime victimization rates between 14% and 20%.
• Existing IPV screening tools are primarily validated for women, creating a gap in assessing male victimization.
• There's a growing clinical interest in universal IPV screening across all genders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the appropriateness and acceptability of an existing IPV screening instrument for use with men.
• To address the lack of validated IPV screening methods for non-female populations.

Main Methods:

• A literature review identified a scarcity of IPV screening research for men.
• Cognitive interviews were conducted with 20 men at varying risk levels for IPV.
• Participants evaluated a 9-question IPV screening instrument for comprehension, appropriateness, and acceptability.

Main Results:

• The literature review confirmed limited research and validated tools for male IPV screening.
• All 20 male participants understood the screening questions as intended.
• Participants confirmed the appropriateness of asking these IPV screening questions to men.

Conclusions:

• The tested IPV screening instrument is appropriate and acceptable for use with men.
• This study contributes to the development of inclusive IPV screening practices for diverse gender identities.
• Findings support expanding routine IPV screening to all patients, regardless of gender.