Men Don’t Cry: A Qualitative Inquiry of Ghanaian Men’s Lived Experiences of Domestic Violence

1. Abramsky. T., Watts, C.H., Garcia-Moreno, C., Devries, K., Kiss, L., Ellsberg, M., Jansen, H.A. & Heise, L. (2011). What factors are associated with recent intimate partner violence? Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. BMC Public Health 11, 109. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-109
2. Addis, M.E. & Mahalik, J.R. (2003). Men masculinity and the context of help seeking. Am Psychol, 58(1), 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.58.1.5
3. Adjei, S.B., (2023). Personhood, masculinity and male perpetuated intimate partner violence: understanding the centrality of culture and context in violence research. HARM, 1, 14-22. https://doi.org/10.46586/harm.2023.9769
4. Barber, C.F. (2008). Domestic violence against men. Nursing Standard, 22(51), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns2008.08.22.51.35.c6644
5. Bates, E. A., & Douglas, E. M. (2020). Services for domestic violence victims in the United Kingdom and United States: Where are we today? Partner Abuse, 11(3), 350–382. https://doi.org/10.1891/PA-2020-0019
6. Carmo, R., Grams, A. & Magalhaes, T. (2011). Men as victims of intimate partner violence. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 18(8), 355-359.
7. Connell, R.W. (1995). Masculinities, (2nded). Berkeley, Los Angeles: University of California Press
8. Cook, P. W. (2009). Abused men: The hidden side of domestic violence. Praeger Publishers.
9. Crossman, K., Hardesty, J.L. & Raffaelli, M. (2016). He could scare me without laying a hand on me: mothers’ experiences of non-violent coercive control during marriage and after separation. Violence Against Women. 22(4),454-473. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801215604744
10. Dery, I. & Apusigah, A.A. (2021). ‘So Kuo Kye B Yi. Disrupting constructions of masculinities among the Dagaaba of Northwestern Ghana. International Journal for Masculinity Studies, 16(1), 6-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2020.1754014
11. Dim, E. E. (2021). Experiences of physical and psychological violence against male victims in Canada: A qualitative study. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 65(9), 1029-1054. https://doi’org/10.1177/0306624X20911898
12. Dobash, R. P., & Dobash, R. E. (2004). Women's violence to men in intimate relationships: Working on a puzzle. British Journal of Criminology, 44(3), 324-349. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azh026
13. Dobash, R.E. & Dobash, R.P. (1979). Violence against wives: A case against the patriarchy. New York: Free Press.
14. Drijber, C.B, Reijnders, U.J.L. & Ceelen, M. (2013). Male victims of domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence. 28:173-178 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-012-9482-9
15. Gubi, D., & Wandera, S. O. (2022). Prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence among ever-married men in Uganda: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health, 22, 535. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12945-z
16. Herman, J. (2015). Trauma and recovery: the aftermath of violence- from domestic abuse to political terror. New York: Basic Books.
17. Hine, B. A. (2019). "It can't be that bad, I mean, a guy": Exploring judgements towards domestic violence scenarios varying on perpetrator and victim gender, and abuse type. In E. A. Bates & J. C. Taylor (Eds.), Intimate partner violence: New perspectives in research and practice (pp. 43–57). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315169842
18. Hine, B., Bates, E. A., & Wallace, S. (2022). “I have guys call me and say, I can't be the victim of domestic abuse”: Exploring the experiences of telephone support providers for male victims of domestic violence and abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(7-8), https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520944551
19. Hine, D.A., Lysova, A. & Douglas, E.M. (2025). Male victims’ experiences with seeking help from domestic violence agencies over time and across western English-speaking countries. Journal of Men’s Health. 21(7),14-28. https://doi.org/10.22514/jomh.2025.092
20. Hogan, K. F., Clarke, V., & Ward, T. (2021). Men's experiences of help‐seeking for female‐perpetrated intimate partner violence: A qualitative exploration. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2011.07.006
21. Machado, A., Santos, A., Graham-Kevan, N., & Matos, M. (2017). Exploring help-seeking of male victims of female perpetrators of IPV. Journal of Family Violence. 32(5). 513-523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9853-8
22. Mantey, E. E. (2019). Domestic violence in Ghana: The attitudes of male victims in Accra. African Journal of Social Work, 9(2), 1–10.
23. Pence, E., & Paymar, M. (1993). Educating groups for men who batter: The Duluth model. Springer Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826179913
24. Pietkiewicz, I. & Smith, J.A. (2012). A practical guide to using interpretive phenomenological analysis in qualitative research psychology. Psychological Journal, 20, 7-14. https://doi.org/10.14691/CPPJ.20.1.7
25. Scott-Storey, K., O'Donnell, S., Ford-Gilboe, M., Varcoe, C., Wathen, N., Malcolm, J., & Vincent, C. (2023). What about the men? a critical review of men's experiences of intimate partner violence. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(2), 858-872. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000222
26. Shinebourne, P. (2011). Interpretive phenomenological analysis. In N. Frost (Ed.). Qualitative research methods in psychology: Combining care approaches (pp.44-65). Open University Press.
27. Smith, J.A. & Fieldsend, M. (2021). Interpretive phenomenological analysis. In P.M. Camic (Ed.). Qualitative research in psychology: Expanding perspectives in methodology and design. (2nd ed., pp.147-166). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000252-008
28. Smith, J.A. & Osborn, M. (2003). Interpretive phenomenological analysis. In J.A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. .51-80. Sage Publications, Inc.
29. Smith, J.A. (2011). Evaluating the contribution of interpretive phenomenological analysis. Health Psychology Review, 5(1), 9-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2010.510659
30. Smith, J.A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretive phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. Thousand Oaks.
31. Stark, E. (2007). Coercive control: How men entrap women in personal life. Oxford University Press.
32. Straus, M.A. (2010) Thirty Years of Denying the Evidence on Gender Symmetry in Partner Violence: Implications for Prevention and Treatment. Partner Abuse, 1, 332-362. https://doi.org/10.1891/1946-6560.1.3.332
33. Taylor, J. C., Bates, E. A., Colosi, A., & Creer, A. J. (2022). Barriers to men's help-seeking for intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(19-20), NP18417-NP18444. https://doi.org//10.1177/08862605211035870
34. Thobejane, T. D., & Luthada, V. (2019). An Investigation into the Trend of Domestic Violence on Men: The Case of South Africa. OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, 12, 11-18.
35. Wadei, B., Osei-Wusu Adjei, P. & Forkour, D. (2023). Domestic conflict as a possible outcome of gender role change: Experiences and perceptions from rural and urban Ghana. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2282421
36. Walker, A., Lyall, K., Silva, D., Craigie, G., Mayshak, R., Costa, B., Hyder, S. & Bentley, A. (2020). Male victims of female-perpetrated intimate partner violence, help-seeking, and reporting behaviours: A qualitative study. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(2), 213–223. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000222
37. Weldon, S. L. & Htun, M. (2013). Feminist mobilisation and progressive policy change: why governments take action to combat violence against women. Gender & Development, 21(2), 231-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2013.802158
38. World Medical Association (2007). Ethics Unit. Declaration of Helsinki.www.wma.net/e/ethicsunit/Helsinki.htm.

Domestic violence, males, Ghana, qualitative study, hegemonic masculinity theory

1. Abramsky. T., Watts, C.H., Garcia-Moreno, C., Devries, K., Kiss, L., Ellsberg, M., Jansen, H.A. & Heise, L. (2011). What factors are associated with recent intimate partner violence? Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. BMC Public Health 11, 109. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-109 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Addis, M.E. & Mahalik, J.R. (2003). Men masculinity and the context of help seeking. Am Psychol, 58(1), 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.58.1.5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Adjei, S.B., (2023). Personhood, masculinity and male perpetuated intimate partner violence: understanding the centrality of culture and context in violence research. HARM, 1, 14-22. https://doi.org/10.46586/harm.2023.9769 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Barber, C.F. (2008). Domestic violence against men. Nursing Standard, 22(51), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns2008.08.22.51.35.c6644 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bates, E. A., & Douglas, E. M. (2020). Services for domestic violence victims in the United Kingdom and United States: Where are we today? Partner Abuse, 11(3), 350–382. https://doi.org/10.1891/PA-2020-0019 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Carmo, R., Grams, A. & Magalhaes, T. (2011). Men as victims of intimate partner violence. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 18(8), 355-359. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Connell, R.W. (1995). Masculinities, (2nded). Berkeley, Los Angeles: University of California Press [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Cook, P. W. (2009). Abused men: The hidden side of domestic violence. Praeger Publishers. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Crossman, K., Hardesty, J.L. & Raffaelli, M. (2016). He could scare me without laying a hand on me: mothers’ experiences of non-violent coercive control during marriage and after separation. Violence Against Women. 22(4),454-473. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801215604744 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Dery, I. & Apusigah, A.A. (2021). ‘So Kuo Kye B Yi. Disrupting constructions of masculinities among the Dagaaba of Northwestern Ghana. International Journal for Masculinity Studies, 16(1), 6-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2020.1754014 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Dim, E. E. (2021). Experiences of physical and psychological violence against male victims in Canada: A qualitative study. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 65(9), 1029-1054. https://doi’org/10.1177/0306624X20911898 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Dobash, R. P., & Dobash, R. E. (2004). Women's violence to men in intimate relationships: Working on a puzzle. British Journal of Criminology, 44(3), 324-349. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azh026 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Dobash, R.E. & Dobash, R.P. (1979). Violence against wives: A case against the patriarchy. New York: Free Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Drijber, C.B, Reijnders, U.J.L. & Ceelen, M. (2013). Male victims of domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence. 28:173-178 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-012-9482-9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Gubi, D., & Wandera, S. O. (2022). Prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence among ever-married men in Uganda: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health, 22, 535. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12945-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Herman, J. (2015). Trauma and recovery: the aftermath of violence- from domestic abuse to political terror. New York: Basic Books. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Hine, B. A. (2019). "It can't be that bad, I mean, a guy": Exploring judgements towards domestic violence scenarios varying on perpetrator and victim gender, and abuse type. In E. A. Bates & J. C. Taylor (Eds.), Intimate partner violence: New perspectives in research and practice (pp. 43–57). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315169842 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Hine, B., Bates, E. A., & Wallace, S. (2022). “I have guys call me and say, I can't be the victim of domestic abuse”: Exploring the experiences of telephone support providers for male victims of domestic violence and abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(7-8), https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520944551 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Hine, D.A., Lysova, A. & Douglas, E.M. (2025). Male victims’ experiences with seeking help from domestic violence agencies over time and across western English-speaking countries. Journal of Men’s Health. 21(7),14-28. https://doi.org/10.22514/jomh.2025.092 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Hogan, K. F., Clarke, V., & Ward, T. (2021). Men's experiences of help‐seeking for female‐perpetrated intimate partner violence: A qualitative exploration. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2011.07.006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Machado, A., Santos, A., Graham-Kevan, N., & Matos, M. (2017). Exploring help-seeking of male victims of female perpetrators of IPV. Journal of Family Violence. 32(5). 513-523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9853-8 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Mantey, E. E. (2019). Domestic violence in Ghana: The attitudes of male victims in Accra. African Journal of Social Work, 9(2), 1–10. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Pence, E., & Paymar, M. (1993). Educating groups for men who batter: The Duluth model. Springer Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826179913 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Pietkiewicz, I. & Smith, J.A. (2012). A practical guide to using interpretive phenomenological analysis in qualitative research psychology. Psychological Journal, 20, 7-14. https://doi.org/10.14691/CPPJ.20.1.7 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Scott-Storey, K., O'Donnell, S., Ford-Gilboe, M., Varcoe, C., Wathen, N., Malcolm, J., & Vincent, C. (2023). What about the men? a critical review of men's experiences of intimate partner violence. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(2), 858-872. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000222 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Shinebourne, P. (2011). Interpretive phenomenological analysis. In N. Frost (Ed.). Qualitative research methods in psychology: Combining care approaches (pp.44-65). Open University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Smith, J.A. & Fieldsend, M. (2021). Interpretive phenomenological analysis. In P.M. Camic (Ed.). Qualitative research in psychology: Expanding perspectives in methodology and design. (2nd ed., pp.147-166). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000252-008 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Smith, J.A. & Osborn, M. (2003). Interpretive phenomenological analysis. In J.A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. .51-80. Sage Publications, Inc. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Smith, J.A. (2011). Evaluating the contribution of interpretive phenomenological analysis. Health Psychology Review, 5(1), 9-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2010.510659 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Smith, J.A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretive phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. Thousand Oaks. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Stark, E. (2007). Coercive control: How men entrap women in personal life. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Straus, M.A. (2010) Thirty Years of Denying the Evidence on Gender Symmetry in Partner Violence: Implications for Prevention and Treatment. Partner Abuse, 1, 332-362. https://doi.org/10.1891/1946-6560.1.3.332 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Taylor, J. C., Bates, E. A., Colosi, A., & Creer, A. J. (2022). Barriers to men's help-seeking for intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(19-20), NP18417-NP18444. https://doi.org//10.1177/08862605211035870 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Thobejane, T. D., & Luthada, V. (2019). An Investigation into the Trend of Domestic Violence on Men: The Case of South Africa. OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, 12, 11-18. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Wadei, B., Osei-Wusu Adjei, P. & Forkour, D. (2023). Domestic conflict as a possible outcome of gender role change: Experiences and perceptions from rural and urban Ghana. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2282421 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Walker, A., Lyall, K., Silva, D., Craigie, G., Mayshak, R., Costa, B., Hyder, S. & Bentley, A. (2020). Male victims of female-perpetrated intimate partner violence, help-seeking, and reporting behaviours: A qualitative study. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(2), 213–223. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000222 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Weldon, S. L. & Htun, M. (2013). Feminist mobilisation and progressive policy change: why governments take action to combat violence against women. Gender & Development, 21(2), 231-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2013.802158 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. World Medical Association (2007). Ethics Unit. Declaration of Helsinki.www.wma.net/e/ethicsunit/Helsinki.htm. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

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