Recent research published in sexual roles This suggests that society often underestimates the dangers of controlling behavior in relationships when the victim is male. This study provides evidence that people tend to take emotional and psychological abuse more seriously when it is directed at women, and that men and LGBTQ+ individuals are at higher risk of being overlooked. These findings demonstrate that societal stereotypes continue to shape how people perceive and respond to unhealthy relationship dynamics.
Coercive control is an ongoing pattern of behavior in which a person attempts to control, isolate, or intimidate their partner. This concept goes beyond a single argument and describes a continuous campaign to limit a person’s freedom and independence. Most awareness campaigns and previous scientific studies have focused on women experiencing this type of abuse at the hands of men in heterosexual relationships.
As a result of this narrow focus, scientists have found significant gaps in our understanding of how society views other victims. Men and LGBTQ+ individuals also experience high rates of intimate partner violence, but often face unique barriers to seeking help. Certain controlling behaviors can even directly target minority identities, such as a partner threatening to reveal someone’s sexual orientation to a family member without their consent.
The researchers wanted to understand whether public perceptions of the severity of abuse change depending on the gender or sexual orientation of those involved. They designed this study to test whether everyday people recognize dominant behavior when it occurs to men or individuals in same-sex relationships. By investigating these attitudes, scientists hoped to identify gaps in public knowledge and improve future support systems for all victims.
“I have been working with Dr Susan Ragdon from the University of Ulster since 2020. When we previously presented scenarios explaining coercive control to the public in Northern Ireland, we found that they were far more knowledgeable about overt coercive control (for example, threatening a victim with violence) than more subtle forms (for example, encouraging the victim to dress or eat a certain way),” said study author and Impact Research senior researcher Julie-Ann Jordan. Center/Forensic Management Network.
“We also found that when asked to read scenarios depicting heterosexual relationships, the general public was less able to recognize the associated risks and support needs of male victims compared to female victims. After this preliminary research, we found that many people were less likely to look at LGBTQ+ relationships. It was noted that certain coercive control tactics are already well-documented in LGBTQ+ relationships, such as threatening to reveal LGBTQ+ status without consent and isolating people. From the LGBTQ+ community. ”
“We originally wanted to cover a wider range of relationship types in our first study. However, due to the cost of administering the survey, we had to limit our focus to scenarios describing male and female perpetrators in heterosexual relationships. Fortunately, in 2022 we were able to obtain funding to conduct a study with a broader focus spanning attitudes towards coercive control in both heterosexual and LGBTQ+ relationships, which is the purpose of this study.”
For the study, scientists collected a sample of 1,872 adults living in the United States using an online survey platform. The average age of the participants was 40 years, and there were slightly more men than women. Respondents were randomly assigned to read text-based scenarios describing different types of hypothetical couples.
These scenarios varied in the gender of the victim and perpetrator, creating four different relationship combinations. Participants read about women who have been abused by men, men who have been abused by women, women who have been abused by women, or men who have been abused by men. In each pair, participants read one scenario illustrating overt coercive control and another scenario illustrating less obvious coercive control.
Overt coercive control included extreme acts such as death threats, interfering with a partner’s work, and financial takeover. Less obvious coercive controls included subtle manipulations such as changing a partner’s wardrobe, ordering food, or stopping them from talking to certain friends. Participants in the same-sex relationship group read additional scenarios detailing forms of abuse specific to the LGBTQ+ community, such as isolating victims from their LGBTQ+ social circles.
After reading the article, respondents rated their agreement with 10 specific statements on a 5-point scale. These statements asked whether the victim was at risk of physical or psychological harm and whether the victim should seek outside help. They also asked participants to assess whether the act constituted domestic violence and whether the act should be classified as a crime. The researchers then compared the responses of different groups to see how the demographic details of a hypothetical couple influenced public opinion.
This result suggests that the gender of the victim has a significant impact on how people view dominant behavior. When the scenario depicted overt abuse, participants showed stronger agreement that women should feel scared and report the behavior to the police than when the victim was a man.
Differences in public opinion were even wider when the scenarios described less obvious forms of control. In situations involving subtle abuse, participants were much more likely to perceive emotional and physical danger when the victim was female. When men were victims of subtle domination, participants tended to view the behavior as more commonplace and less worthy of police intervention.
The perpetrator’s gender had a smaller effect on public opinion than the victim’s gender. However, people perceived a slightly higher risk of physical harm when the abuser was male. The scientists noted that this combined effect means that men who experience subtle abuse from women receive the lowest levels of public attention and recognition.
“In our research, the public was less likely than female victims to believe that men subjected to coercive control were negatively affected and should seek help,” Jordan told Cypost. “But coercive control negatively affects people of all genders and sexual orientations, and anyone can become a victim.”
When examining survey respondents’ sexual orientation, researchers observed that individuals who identified as LGBTQ+ had lower levels of concern about coercive control than heterosexual respondents. LGBTQ+ participants were more likely to view dominant behaviors as commonplace and less likely to view them as criminal acts.
“I am surprised and concerned that members of the LGBTQ+ community appear to be less aware of the risks associated with coercive control,” Jordan said. “This may be because public messaging campaigns have historically portrayed domestic violence as a ‘heterosexual’ issue. Without clear information about what is appropriate in relationships, individuals in the LGBTQ+ community may have limited knowledge of what to expect in relationships, leading to ‘normalized’ inappropriate behavior.”
The findings show that “anyone can be a victim of coercive control, including men and LGBTQ+ individuals,” Jordan said. “If you are worried that you are being controlled, or that a friend or family member is a victim of coercive control, contact your local domestic violence support group for advice.”
This study has some limitations. Because this study was based on a self-report survey, some participants may have changed their answers to appear socially acceptable. Additionally, the study scenario featured only individuals whose gender identity matched their assigned sex at birth.
Because gender identity and sexual orientation are complex, scientists were unable to include all subgroups of the LGBTQ+ community in one study. Future research should aim to incorporate scenarios featuring transgender and non-binary individuals to see how the public views abuse in those specific relationships. Collecting larger samples of specific minority groups can help reveal how different communities understand and experience domestic violence.
In the future, researchers plan to use this information to create better educational resources. They are currently developing a training program aimed at teaching young people about healthy relationship dynamics. Scientists hope that by giving young people a better understanding of coercive control, they can prevent future abuse and ensure all victims know how to find help.
“I am a team member of a research program led by Dr. Susan Ragdon that aims to develop a Healthy Young Adult Relationships (HYAR) education program,” Jordan told PsyPost. “This educational program is designed to be delivered by community organizations and includes an app to enhance the weekly content, which covers a diverse range of relationships.”
“We have already received advice from young people, parents and experts on the content and format of this training program (MRC-PHIND, awarded £150,000 in 2022) and are applying for funding to carry out trials to assess the effectiveness of the HYAR education programme. Ultimately, our aim is to use HYAR to help young people develop the skills and confidence they need to develop healthy relationships and avoid becoming victims of coercive control.”
The study, “American Adults’ Attitudes toward Coercive Control as a Function of Victim and Perpetrator Gender and Respondent’s Sexual Orientation,” was authored by Julie-Ann Jordan, Niamh Hirst, Claire McCartan, Daniel McFadden, Ciaran Shannon, Kevin FW Dyer, and Susan Ragdon.
