A Multi-Level Analysis of Help-Seeking Behaviour of Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Globally, many men are victims of intimate partner violence but not many seek help to stop the violence. This study sought to identify the factors associated with the help-seeking behavior of male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Uganda. This was done using ordinary and mixed-effects regression models with logit, probit, and complementary log-log link functions and secondary data from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey. Most males (70.6 percent) never sought help after experiencing intimate partner violence. Marital status, listening to the radio, physically hurt partner, experienced physical injury, number of control issues, father ever beat mother, and severity of violence were significantly associated with the help-seeking behavior of male victims of IPV. There is a need to come up with interventions that encourage males to report IPV, especially among the married, and also sensitize males not to wait until they have experienced physical injuries or any other severe violence before they seek help. Given that the sampling methodology used in demographic and health surveys introduces nesting in the data, researchers should consider using multilevel models.