USA: Ärzte sollen Männer durchleuchten, ob sie potentielle Gewalttäter sind

An increasing number of medical groups — including the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which helps determine what services are covered under the health reform law — now recommend that doctors should screen all of their female patients for evidence of intimate partner violence (IPV). Since domestic violence leads to both short-term and long-term health problems, medical professionals are uniquely positioned to be able to spot the signs. The federal guidelines specifically apply to women of childbearing age, since they’re most at risk for becoming victims of domestic abuse.

But what if doctors shifted the focus and also started looking for potential abusers? Although very little work has been done in that field so far, the men who engage in IPV are regularly coming into contact with medical professionals, according to a new study examining the characteristics of abusers. It may be possible to teach doctors about the warning signs that suggest a male patient could be abusing his partner.

(...) Singh and his colleagues also found some correlations between domestic abuse and certain health issues that could come up in a routine exam. According to their research, male aggression is linked to irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, substance abuse, and a history of either experiencing or witnessing violence as a child. While Singh noted that "people should not jump to the conclusion that men with irritable bowel syndrome are all abusers," the correlation could give medical professionals more insight into the complex profile of a man who’s at risk to be too aggressive at home. (...) He and his colleagues found that IPV is very common — one in five men reported pushing, grabbing, shoving, or hitting their partners.

Hier findet man den vollständigen Artikel, hier einen weiteren Beitrag, der in dieselbe Richtung argumentiert. Beide Beiträge fußen auf einer fragwürdigen Studie, der zufolge jeder fünfte Mann ein Gewalttäter sei.

Bekanntlich gibt es über 500 Studien und Massen von ergänzendem Forschungsmaterial, die belegen, dass häusliche Gewalt von beiden Geschlechtern etwa zum gleichen Anteil ausgeht und einen systemischen Prozess darstellt (sich also zum Beispiel zwischen zwei Partnern wechselseitig hochschaukelt). Ein vorgestern veröffentlichter Artikel reiht sich sogar in die Reihe der Beiträge ein, die ein Übergewicht der Täterschaft bei Frauen wahrnehmen – und Gründe dafür nennen. In einer Gesellschaft aber, die das Böse beim Mann lokalisiert zu haben glaubt, wird dieses komplette Forschungsmaterial von vielen einflussreichen Instanzen immer wieder durchgehend ignoriert.