Latest news with #AustralianInstituteofFamilyStudies'
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
One in three Australian men report using emotional or physical violence
More than one in three Australian men admit to having used emotional or physical violence against their partners, according to a world-first study. The alarming results are an increase from one in four men 10 years ago, with federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek calling it a 'trend ... going in the wrong direction'. 'That equates to about 120,000 extra men every year in Australia using violence for the first time in intimate relationships,' she said. The Australian Institute of Family Studies' Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health — the largest study of its kind in the world — surveyed about 16,000 men aged 18 to 65 in 2013-2014 and again in 2023-2024, with a further 10,000 individuals added to the database in the second survey. It asked questions including whether participants had ever behaved in a manner that had made a partner feel frightened or anxious, or had ever hit, slapped, kicked or otherwise physically hurt a partner when angry. By the second study, 35 per cent of participants answered yes to one or both of those questions compared with 24 per cent in the first survey. About 9 per cent of those involved in the second survey admitted to physically abusing their partner. Plibersek said the study results were concerning. '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,' Plibersek told the ABC. 'Obviously, that's a trend that's going in the wrong direction.' But she said the research did offer 'good insights', revealing men who had an affectionate father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to have committed intimate partner violence. And men with high levels of social support 'all the time' were 26 per cent less likely to say they had committed intimate partner violence. '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,' Plibersek told the ABC. Conversely, mental health issues such as depression can increase the incidence of violence. Men who reported moderate or severe depressive symptoms in 2013-2014 were 62 per cent more likely to report committing violence by the second survey, while those with mild depressive symptoms were 32 per cent more likely. Those who had experienced suicidal thoughts, plans or attempts were 47 per cent more likely to have committed some form of violence against a partner. 'Extent of the problem' Australian Institute of Family Studies director Liz Neville said : 'This unique data set, following men over a 10-year period, 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. '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.' However the research indicates programs which support men to develop good quality relationships, social connections and to seek support could contribute to a reduction in partner violence.
Herald Sun
3 days ago
- Herald Sun
Violent porn fuelling new wave in domestic violence, research finds
More than one third of Australian men admit they've either scared or intimidated their own loved ones, up from one in four men 10 years ago. The biggest spike in the worrying scourge in that time was among 18-24-year-olds, with concerns growing over their consumption of violent and misogynistic pornography. The startling findings, released today in the Australian Institute of Family Studies' Ten to Men report, mean more men than the entire population of Ballarat will carry out that behaviour for the first time each year. Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said the increasing amount of time boys spent online meant they were much more often exposed to 'intrusive, misogynist, violent pornography'. 'They're getting absolutely targeted,' she said. 'Younger people receiving information are being impacted by the changes in technology very differently than older generations are. 'How do we use it as a tool to get to those young people? Because they're spending time on their devices.' The study, which has surveyed more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013, asked about 4500 men around the country about their backgrounds and behaviour, finding that men who were suicidal, depressed or anxious, isolated or unhappy with their lives were more than 60 per cent more likely to inflict violence on their partners. While there was an increase in the use of violent behaviour in men of all ages, about 12 per cent of 18-24-year-olds exhibited it in 2013. By the end of 2022, the study's most recent data collection period, that figure had more than doubled to 30 per cent. Ms Cronin said it was crucial to invest in staying ahead of major technological developments, such as artificial intelligence, and work with young men from an earlier age to understand their emotions and relationship dynamics. 'We need to really be thinking about how we support men, how we support boys as they're growing up,' she said. 'Let's listen to men and boys about what's going to work for them.' Alleged violent behaviour among younger men has had deadly consequences in Victoria. Across Victoria, there were 19 alleged family violence murders last year. Lachlan Young was 21 years old in April last year when he allegedly murdered his ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old Hannah McGuire and left her body in a burnt out car. Mr Young has pleaded not guilty and has been remanded to face the Supreme Court at a later date. Nationally, emotional abuse was the most common type of reported violence as 32 per cent of men said they made their partners feel 'frightened or anxious'. Nine per cent said they had hit, slapped, kicked or physically hurt their partners in a fit of rage. But men who felt like they had a strong relationship with their father and felt affection growing up were 48 per cent less likely to carry out violence against their loved ones. Ten to Men's program lead and Dr Sean Martin said the research underscored Australia's growing domestic violence crisis, with Victorian crime data recording more than 100,000 reports of family violence in the past year. Report co-author and University of Melbourne joint family violence prevention chair Kelsey Hegarty (Prof) said that figure was 'just the tip of the iceberg', and called for training that would help GPs and health professionals ask questions that would identify people at higher risk of perpetrating domestic violence. 'This is a major significant health issue for families. We know that it's causing great harm 'We haven't trialled interventions in those settings. We haven't trained health practitioners for it. 'We need to do more across the whole system to prevent this wicked problem. 'We need to continue to, at all parts of the system, be significantly trying to engage men.' Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said: 'This new research is concerning, but sadly not surprising'. 'It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start.'
