Black Men and IPV: How Exposure to Trauma Impacts Their Intimate Relationships

Most of the research on the disproportionately high rates of family violence in Black families focuses on the experiences of the Black women. Yet, the majority of the people perpetrating this violence are Black men, and their voices and experiences are rarely heard and even less commonly centered. Our analysis, based on over 200 face-to-face interviews with Black men who perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) and their partners, is uniquely guided by the theoretical frame provided by Black Feminist Criminology (BFC) which allows us to interrogate the specific structures that create the context in which to analyze Black men’s high rates of perpetrating IPV. Our findings identify three sources of trauma that impact young Black men—(1) experiencing violence in their families of origin, (2) witnessing and/or experiencing violence in their communities (CVE), and (3) the trauma of incarceration – that put them at increased risk for perpetrating IPV in adulthood. Understanding this tripartite exposure that produces complex trauma in Black men and elevates their risk for abusing their partners has significant implications for both intervention and prevention of IPV in Black families.