Men and family violence Studies show that men and boys are just as likely to be the abused as to be abusers in cases of family violence. Family violence and abuse are issues of control rather than an issue of who is stronger. It takes different forms, depending on the age, sex, and circumstances of the abused and abuser. A 1995 study of young American military couples, in which male violence might be expected to dominate, found that the incidence of violence was the same for both men and women. Differences between abused men and women appear primarily in the severity of physical injury.
Women are more at risk for extreme or life- threatening injury.
A 1996 Health Canada report found that it is as difficult for men and boys as for women and girls to admit that they are abused and more difficult to find help. Another problem is that there is a lack of resources, such as shelters and counselling, available for abused men and many front-line workers, such as police and social workers, have not been trained to handle these cases.