MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Informing Social ... - Amen

I processed this information and came up with a research aim: ‘To inform social work
practice of the difficulties male victims of domestic violence experience’.
To achieve this aim I structured the research by using the following themes.
• Domestic violence and society in relation to male victims.
• The levels of reporting of domestic violence by male victims.
• The main types of abuse male victims of domestic violence suffer.
• The main affects of domestic violence on male victims.
• The services available to male victims of domestic violence.
• The law and male victims of domestic violence.
• Male victims of domestic violence and social work.
Once a research aim was decided, the information gathered was processed from the
relevant sources. To expand my information in relation to the research aim I had to
decide on where and how I was going to locate this information. Researching the area
of male victims of domestic violence is a sensitive social issue reinforced by society’s
reluctance to face up to the fact that men can, and are victims of domestic violence.
I decided to interview two groups; the first group was a group of male victims of
domestic violence, ‘Group (A)’. This group would provide direct evidence about
similarities and differences in comparisons to the literature, which could be used as a
primary source of data or as a means to supplement or combine with other qualitative
methods to highlight issues. Data was generated with this group ‘Group (A)’, through
the facilitation of a focus group for two main reasons. The first was that it provided a
practical method of gaining the data required for the dissertation, as Amen’s location
was to far to carry out individual interviews. The second reason was that the format of
a focus group would provide the men with support while taking about their abuse.
Morgan (1997) points out that the use of focus groups can serve as a primary means of
collecting qualitative data. Focus groups provide access to forms of data that are not
obtained easily with individual interviews.
As domestic violence is a sensitive and personal issue there was a need for the focus
group to be held in an environment that would provide support and respect for the
participants. The focus group was held at the Amen centre in Navan, Co. Meath where
the men attend their support group, each week. Amen holds their support group on
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