Men’s Experiences on Coercive Control and Physical Violence: A Canadian Context Among Fathers and Men Without Children

IPV is usually not a single form or one event of violence but rather a spectrum of behaviors that inflict harm and may manifest in various ways, eroding the foundation of healthy relationships. The objectives of the study were to examine the men’s experiences of: (1) female-perpetrated coercive control behaviors and their coercive control perpetration against their partners, and (2) physical violence. With the use of an online survey, the study included 257 men, including 131 fathers. Only 11 men reported no experiences of controlling behaviors by their partners, and 55 men disclosed no victimization of physical violence. There were no reports of no controlling or physical violence. Bidirectional coercive control was experienced by 227 (88.33%) of the men. Scholars need to be cautious and precise when reporting bidirectionality. Men were more likely to be victimized than to be the perpetrator of coercive control, especially fathers. Limitations and future directions are discussed. However, when men were asked if they ever experienced IPV, 63 men (17 fathers) reported no IPV. IPV differed by IPV experiences and status (men with and without children).