Department of Public Health, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Department of Demography, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Am J Mens Health. 2022 Jul-Aug;16(4):15579883221119355. doi: 10.1177/15579883221119355.
Although studies show that masculine discrepancy stress (i.e., the intrapsychic strain associated with failing to meet internalized masculine ideals) is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, little is known about the processes underlying this association. There may be other social psychological constructs at play that explain this relationship further. The present study uses recently collected data from a national survey of men living in the United States ( = 711) to formally test whether the effects of discrepancy stress on three different forms of IPV perpetration are mediated by anger, self-esteem, and perceived powerlessness. We find that discrepancy stress is directly associated with higher levels of anger, lower levels self-esteem, a sense of powerlessness, and a greater odds of perpetrating any physical IPV and severe physical IPV resulting in injuries, but not sexual IPV perpetration in our sample of men. Our mediation analyses confirms that masculine discrepancy stress is indirectly associated with perpetrating all three forms of IPV through the mechanism of anger. Self-esteem and perceived powerlessness are not supported as mediators. These findings add to our understanding of the link between masculinity and violence perpetration and can inform IPV reduction interventions. Gender transformative interventions that reduce discrepancy stress among men by shifting men's adherence to traditional masculine norms, and that integrate anger management strategies, should be explored in future research.
尽管研究表明男性差异压力（即未能达到内化的男性理想所带来的内心紧张）与亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）的实施有关，但对于这种关联的背后机制知之甚少。可能还有其他社会心理因素在起作用，可以进一步解释这种关系。本研究使用了最近从一项对美国男性（n=711）的全国性调查中收集的数据，正式检验了差异压力对三种不同形式的 IPV 实施的影响是否通过愤怒、自尊和无力感来介导。我们发现，差异压力与更高的愤怒水平、更低的自尊、无力感以及更有可能实施任何身体暴力和严重的身体暴力（导致受伤）直接相关，但在我们的男性样本中，与性暴力无关。我们的中介分析证实，男性差异压力通过愤怒机制与所有三种形式的 IPV 的实施间接相关。自尊和无力感不支持作为中介。这些发现增加了我们对男性气质与暴力实施之间联系的理解，并为减少 IPV 的干预措施提供了信息。未来的研究应该探索减少男性差异压力的性别转换干预措施，这些干预措施通过改变男性对传统男性规范的坚持，并整合愤怒管理策略。
