A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
“Learning to stay silent”: Coping, help-seeking and mitigation strategies for intimate partner violence against men in Kenya
Authors: Waila, Jacinta Mukulu; Horstick, Olaf; Mitiro, Domnick Onyango; Musyimi, Christine Wayua; Wilson, Michael Lowery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Social Science and Medicine
Article number: 118694
Volume: 388
ISSN: 0277-9536
eISSN: 1873-5347
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118694
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118694
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505187302
In heterosexual relationships, intimate partner violence (IPV) affects both men and women. However, women are more likely than men to seek help. This study used a qualitative approach to describe community perceptions on the coping and help-seeking behavior of male victims of female-perpetrated IPV. Love for their children and wives, and fear of shame, losing property and breaking the law makes men stay in abusive marriages. Avoidance, silence, submission, finding another partner, and being religious are some of the coping strategies employed. Both formal and informal reporting avenues are utilized but the latter seemed preferable. Internal and external barriers to male IPV reporting and help-seeking were underscored. Help-seeking by male IPV victims seems a taboo in a society that expects exaggerated masculinity inadvertently hindering reporting. Our findings reveal that both men and women appreciate the need for a gender-inclusive response to IPV. Despite reported shortcomings, leveraging existing easily accessible support systems such as family, community leadership, local administration, and religious institutions could be an ideal approach to start conversations about male IPV recognition and mitigation.
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