Does anyone care? Black men's experiences as victims of dating violence perpetrated by a girlfriend

Background: Young urban African American men may be disproportionately affected by non-physical dating violence victimization. Although there is some literature indicating the general experiences of both female and male victims of dating violence, many of the studies targeting young adult men are outdated.  Furthermore, there are no known studies identifying the specific types of non-physical dating violence victimization experienced by urban black men perpetrated by a girlfriend.  The goal of the current study is to identify the various types of dating violence acts experienced by Black heterosexual males.  Methods: The study utilized qualitative methods to explore dating violence victimization experiences urban Black males ages 18-25 years old. Focus groups were used to collect qualitative data from a sample of Black males aged 18-25 years old (n=26) from Brooklyn, New York.  Results:  A total of three categories of intimate partner violence (mental/psychological, physical, and verbal) and seven specific dating violence actions (i.e. stalking, property damage, hitting) were identified by the participants.  One new dating violence action (imprisonment) was also identified in this study.  Conclusions: A new survey has been developed based on the results of this study to assess dating violence victimization among urban Black men that is perpetrated by their girlfriends.  This survey may be administered to this population to examine the risk of this phenomenon and develop health promotion interventions to address this public health concern.