Latest news with #AIFS
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- Health
- SBS Australia
One in three Australian men admit to using intimate partner violence, new national study finds
This article contains references to domestic violence. Mental ill health and poor father-son relationships have been revealed as key factors that could contribute to men's violence against women. A longitudinal study conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) surveyed men and boys in 2013/14 and again in 2022 for critical insights into factors influencing the use of violence. The research has produced the first national estimate of male intimate partner violence perpetration, with the 2022 study finding more than one-in-three Australian men aged 18 to 65 have used intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This is up from one-in-four men who reported ever having used intimate partner violence among the same cohort surveyed in 2014. The latest study also found an estimated 120,000 men nationally were starting to use violence for the first time each year. Emotional-type abuse was the most common form of intimate partner violence, with 32 per cent of men in 2022 reporting they had ever made an intimate partner feel "frightened or anxious". Meanwhile, 9 per cent reported ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. Mental health and quality relationships with their fathers were found to have an impact on men's use of violence. Men with moderate or severe depressive symptoms were 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence. The correlation between depression and violence did not mean one caused the other, but it was important to be aware of the impact of mental health, Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said. "This sort of data gives us really good evidence on how to target interventions and investment," she told AAP. "It tells us that we need to be aware of the prevalence and the number of men using violence, and recognise that if someone is talking to a GP about their mental health, for example, it's worth asking those extra questions about their use of violence." Men who felt strongly that they had a quality relationship with a father or father figure during childhood, marked with affection, were 48 per cent less likely to report ever having used intimate partner violence. Cronin said paternal relationships where boys could talk about their feelings with their fathers appeared to be a protective factor against using violence later in life. The longitudinal data provided a set of risk factors to help develop effective policies and programs for young men, report co-author Sean Martin said. "Understanding the risk factors to these behaviours is critical," he said. Newly appointed Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the research was concerning but not surprising. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it," she said. "Obviously that trend is in completely the wrong direction and it's very important that we continue to focus on getting those numbers down," she said. "This report is useful because it also presents us with some of the key protective factors that make it much less likely that men will use violence. It shows that good mental health, good social connection and good relationship with a father or father figure early in life are very strong, very strong protective factors." Plibersek said the Labor government had committed an additional $1 billion to mental health services, including the rollout of Medicare walk-in mental health clinics. If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
West Australian
4 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
‘Very concerning': One in three Australian men admit to intimate partner violence, horror study finds
A major new study revealing intimate partner violence is on the rise despite efforts to counter it is 'very concerning', Tanya Plibersek has said. One in three men have admitted to abusing an intimate partner either emotionally or physically, according to the latest Australian Institute of Family Studies findings. It marks an increase from one in four about a decade ago. Reacting to the AIFS report on Tuesday, the Social Services Minister said it was clear the trend was headed in the 'wrong direction'. 'It looks at a large cohort of men over a long period of time, and what the research shows is that over about a decade, between the first report and the second report, the number of men who have ever used violence has increased from one in four to one in three,' Ms Plibersek told the ABC. 'That equates to about 120,000 extra men every year in Australia using violence for the first time in intimate relationships. 'Obviously that's a trend that's going in the wrong direction. The study found emotional abuse was the most common form of intimate partner violence. Thirty-two per cent of men in 2022 reported that they had made an intimate partner feel 'frightened or anxious'. Meanwhile, 9 per cent admitted to 'hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting' their partner when angry. But Ms Plibersek stressed the report offered 'some really good insights into what makes it more or less likely that men will ever use violence in an intimate relationship'. 'It shows that men who have good mental health, who have good social connections and social supports, and who have a good relationship with a father or father figure when they're young, are all less likely to use violence in their relationships,' she said. According to the report, men with high levels of social support 'all of the time' were 26 per cent less likely to say they had committed intimate partner violence. It also said men with strong relationships, with an affectionate father figure as a child, were 48 per cent less likely to say they had committed intimate partner violence. In contrast, men with depressive symptoms were 62 per cent more likely to abuse a partner when compared to others without these symptoms. 'I think a lot of people in recent years have reported social isolation and loneliness as bigger features in their lives,' Ms Plibersek said. 'It shows why it's important that we invest in mental health supports and we're doing that as a government — an extra billion dollars with Medicare walk-in mental health clinics, expanding the number of Headspace clinics, reinstating telehealth psychiatry, telehealth consultations. 'All of those supports make a difference. It shows why it's important that we are investing to help women as they leave violence with the billion dollars extra for the Leaving Violence (Program), the extra housing and extra billion dollars for that.' The government-funded study has tracked more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013 and added an additional 10,000 men in 2024-25. It is the first of its kind in Australia.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Very concerning': One in three Australian men admit to intimate partner violence, horror study finds
A major new study revealing intimate partner violence is on the rise despite efforts to counter it is 'very concerning', Tanya Plibersek has said. One in three men have admitted to abusing an intimate partner either emotionally or physically, according to the latest Australian Institute of Family Studies findings. It marks an increase from one in four about a decade ago. Reacting to the AIFS report on Tuesday, the Social Services Minister said it was clear the trend was headed in the 'wrong direction'. 'It looks at a large cohort of men over a long period of time, and what the research shows is that over about a decade, between the first report and the second report, the number of men who have ever used violence has increased from one in four to one in three,' Ms Plibersek told the ABC. 'That equates to about 120,000 extra men every year in Australia using violence for the first time in intimate relationships. 'Obviously that's a trend that's going in the wrong direction. The study found emotional abuse was the most common form of intimate partner violence. Thirty-two per cent of men in 2022 reported that they had made an intimate partner feel 'frightened or anxious'. Meanwhile, 9 per cent admitted to 'hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting' their partner when angry. But Ms Plibersek stressed the report offered 'some really good insights into what makes it more or less likely that men will ever use violence in an intimate relationship'. 'It shows that men who have good mental health, who have good social connections and social supports, and who have a good relationship with a father or father figure when they're young, are all less likely to use violence in their relationships,' she said. According to the report, men with high levels of social support 'all of the time' were 26 per cent less likely to say they had committed intimate partner violence. It also said men with strong relationships, with an affectionate father figure as a child, were 48 per cent less likely to say they had committed intimate partner violence. In contrast, men with depressive symptoms were 62 per cent more likely to abuse a partner when compared to others without these symptoms. 'I think a lot of people in recent years have reported social isolation and loneliness as bigger features in their lives,' Ms Plibersek said. 'It shows why it's important that we invest in mental health supports and we're doing that as a government — an extra billion dollars with Medicare walk-in mental health clinics, expanding the number of Headspace clinics, reinstating telehealth psychiatry, telehealth consultations. 'All of those supports make a difference. It shows why it's important that we are investing to help women as they leave violence with the billion dollars extra for the Leaving Violence (Program), the extra housing and extra billion dollars for that.' The government-funded study has tracked more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013 and added an additional 10,000 men in 2024-25. It is the first of its kind in Australia.
West Australian
8 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
Studies show one in three Aussie men admit to intimate partner violence
The number of Australian men who admit to intimate partner violence, from emotional abuse to physical attacks, has risen to one in three, the biggest study of its kind has revealed. When the same group of 16,000 men were surveyed nearly a decade earlier, just one in four said they had ever used intimate partner violence. The Australian Institute of Family Studies research also shone a light on the factors that made such abuse more likely, including poor mental health, a lack of social support and the absence of a good relationship with their father in childhood. The study found that men with high levels of social support were 26 per cent less likely to use intimate partner violence, while men who felt they had a quality relationship with their father or a father figure during childhood were 48 per cent less likely. Men experiencing depression were 62 per cent more likely to engage in intimate partner violence. Emotional abuse was by far the most common form of partner abuse, with 32 per cent of those surveyed saying they had ever behaved in a way that had made a partner feel 'frightened or anxious'. That compared to nine per cent who said they had hit, slapped, kicked or otherwise physically hurt them. The research is significant because it is the biggest longitudinal study on male health in the world and the only Australian study of its kind. It is being billed as the first national estimate of male intimate partner violence in Australia. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that one in four women and one in fourteen men have been victims of intimate partner violence. AIFS program lead Sean Martin said the data provided 'for the first time' a set of risk factors to help guide programs and policies to reduce partner violence. 'Because intimate partner violence is such a significant and widespread issue — used by people of all ages and backgrounds — understanding the risk factors to these behaviours is critical,' he said. 'Depressive symptoms and a lack of social connection aren't an excuse by any means, as violence is always a choice, but they do signal where we could be building more supports around men early on, for the sake of their future partners, children and communities.' Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the results were 'concerning but sadly not surprising'. 'To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it,' she said. AIFS director Liz Neville said the study's findings 'confirms the extent of the problem'. 'With an estimated 120,000 men starting to use intimate partner violence each year across Australia, we can see more clearly how delays in effective interventions can have devastating consequences,' she said. 'Each act of violence harms individuals, families and communities. We hope these disturbing numbers provide the impetus for further action by governments at all levels, underpinned by evidence.'
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Why dads should choose to be like Bluey's Bandit father
Dads. They get a hard time sometimes. Mums at the school gates swap stories about their other half's inability to remember library day, muttering darkly about 'mental load' and 'weaponised incompetence'. 'Dad jokes' is shorthand for the worst kind of puns. And pop culture is full of incompetent dads, from Homer Simpson to Peppa Pig's Daddy Pig. Sure, plenty of TV fathers are uber-competent at work but nobody's buying a copy of A Guide to Healthy Parenting by Don Draper. Other dad stereotypes include the disciplinarian — a shadowy figure who disappears to his 9 to 5 and reappears to deliver on Mum's lightly veiled 'wait 'til your Dad gets home' threat — or the fun father who gets sidelined when the real parenting begins. The media doesn't always help. When James Bond actor Daniel Craig was snapped using a baby carrier, professional pearl-clutcher Piers Morgan claimed it was 'emasculating'. 'He's using an emasculating papoose. James Bond would never use a papoose to carry his babies,' Morgan said, as though a handsome millionaire actor should be ashamed to appear in public with physical evidence he's been having sex with his beautiful actress wife. Homer Simpson Credit: The Simpsons / Supplied Are you getting the picture? Because I'm approaching my point, which is this: cliches about fatherhood exist because they can ring true. But we should be glad so many are increasingly outdated because there is a growing pile of research showing us just how important good dads are. We already know, for example, that a daughter's relationship with her father is a strong indicator of her future self-esteem. (I think this means my own wonderful Dad is responsible for the misplaced confidence that once convinced me I could pull off a pixie haircut and, rest assured, he'll be hearing from my lawyers). But the latest wake-up call comes from a study of 16,000 men by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The news is awash with 'studies' that are marketing in disguise. You know what I'm talking about, the toothbrush company that surveys 100 people about their brushing habits in the hope an overworked journalist will write a story about it. The AIFS research, however, is kind that's worth paying attention to, as the biggest study of its kind in the world. It found intimate partner violence is on the rise, with the number of men who have emotionally or physically abused a partner rising from one in four to one in three between 2013-14 and 2022. This doesn't necessarily mean physical violence — emotional abuse that made a partner feel 'frightened or anxious' was far more common — but it makes for grim reading. In no way am I implying that these men are the true victims. Still, the part that stood out to me were the risk factors that make men more likely to commit this kind of abuse. Depression was a red flag, with depressed men 62 per cent more likely to be abusers. Social support also mattered. And men who lacked a strong relationship with their father — or father figure — were also at higher risk. Men who felt they had a quality relationship with their dad in childhood were 48 per cent less likely to have engaged in intimate partner violence. In the (paraphrased) words of researchers: paternal affection may play a protective role in men's use of intimate partner violence. In the words of someone who knows more about The Simpsons than how to write a scientific paper: if your dad was loving and affectionate when you were a kid you are less likely to be violent towards your partner as you grow up. Bluey has not only become a staple in Australian households, with children across the globe obsessed with the hit cartoon. And it's not only kids that love to follow the lives of the family of animated dogs. Parents love the show too as they can relate to the mother and father in the program. However, one episode in particular has left parents shocked, as it depicts a very adult theme. Viewers have realised that in season three, episode 22 of Bluey, which is called Whale Watching, dog parents Bandit and Chili appear to be hungover. While the word 'hangover' is never used in the episode, the dogs say they are very tired after a 'big night' and struggle to play with their children. Credit: ABC / ABC The good news is that the modern face of fatherhood has changed and continues to do so. One-in-three families with two parents say they share the child care equally. Dads are no longer the default breadwinner: more can work part-time and take paternity leave, giving them extra time with their children in the crucial early years. Even pop culture is coming around. There is no greater TV dad than Bluey's Bandit: the blue heeler blessed with almost limitless love and patience. Creator Joe Brumm has said the show reflects how his friends treat their kids. And every one of those Bandit wannabes is helping to raise happier, healthier kids who grow up to be happier, healthier adults. Even if a certain number continue to forget about bloody library day.
