Unveiling research gaps on male intimate partner violence (IPV) victims: a 25-Year bibliometric analysis
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Date
2026
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Abstract
Male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) remain comparatively underrepresented within the scholarly
literature on IPV. While international frameworks and research agendas have primarily focused on violence
against women, less scholarly attention has been directed toward male victimization. This study presents a
bibliometric analysis of global research on male IPV victimization published between 2000 and 2025. Following
the PRISMA 2020 protocol, 219 Scopus-indexed peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria and were
analyzed using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. These tools were used to examine publication trends, co-authorship
networks, citation patterns, and thematic research clusters. The results indicate a gradual increase in publications
after 2015, with the most pronounced growth occurring between 2020 and 2025. >70% of studies were pub-
lished within criminology, psychology, and social work, while public health, legal, and medical subject areas
were comparatively less represented. Over 80% of publications originated from the United States, the United
Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, with limited contributions from developing regions. Only 14.6% of the liter-
ature consisted of review articles, indicating limited synthesis of existing evidence. Reported funding information
also suggests a stronger emphasis on female-focused IPV research. Overall, the findings highlight disciplinary and
geographic imbalances in scholarly attention to male IPV victimization and provide a structured evidence base to
inform future empirical, theoretical, and bibliometric research.
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Keywords
Male victims, Intimate partner violence, Domestic violence, Gender-inclusive policy, Research Trends, Bibliometric Analysis
Citation
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nexres.2026.101614