Men Severely Affected By Domestic Violence

One in three women are affected by sexual assault, physical violence or stalking by a partner in their lifetime. It is a disturbing fact, and one that was widely reported on when the study came out this week. Another find of the study was left out of many news reports: the same is true for one in four men.

This data was collected by the Center for Disease Control in a survey that interviewed 16,500 adults via telephone in 2010. Men reported experiencing sexual violence and abuse at a higher rate than is commonly thought. Violence in a relationship is not necessarily a gender problem. It is a universal one.

What does this mean? For one thing, it means that a large percentage of the population is also experiencing the health problems that accompany this kind of violence. These include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and suicide attempts but also things like substance abuse and gastrointestinal disorders.

The director of the CDC’s Injury Center Division of Violence Protection suggests that preventative measures need to start at a younger age. That way this type of violence can be prevented before it even starts. Right now most efforts try to stop the violence once it has already started.

Integrating this kind of violence into middle school and high school health classes may be one solution. Classes could discuss how serious this behaviour is and how to prevent it before it starts. Whatever the solution, there has to be a better one than what is being offered now. If this much of the population is affected, preventive measures need to be taken up a few notches.

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