Abstract
This study explores the perspectives of 14 male perpetrators convicted of intimate partnerviolence type offences over 55 years of age and under the supervision of the National
Probation Service in the UK at time of interview. Their respective supervising officers were
also interviewed to provide background information. Using a life course approach, and an
analysis of telephone interview data based on grounded theory principles, it identifies areas
of continuity and change for these men and investigates their experiences of interventions
and support. This analysis informs recommendations for managing the risk of IPV in later life.
As reflected in the perpetrator interviews, the findings show the central role of gender in
shaping and determining the life course - due to its pervasive presence across all accounts, its
inhibitory effect on help-seeking, and as the main factor limiting adaptation to areas of
change and transition in later life (starting a second family, retirement, relocating). Individuals
appear also impacted by an array of other limiting continuities operating at the individual
level (mental health; autism; childhood experiences) that are considered less integral to their
intimate relationships. Participant awareness of the role of gender is, however, not apparent
from their personal accounts, nor reflected in their experience of interventions prior to their
later life offence, nor does it inform any part of their sentence. Yet, gender-related
continuities in terms of their beliefs and expectations are linked to future risk for those who
intend to rekindle or start new relationships in later life.
Within the context of current gender inequalities and the construction of masculinities within
society, suggestions for increasing adaptation to later life changes are offered. These aim to
promote individual level interventions which increase help-seeking and engagement, meet
more concrete needs in response to crises, and alter gender-related beliefs and expectations,
thereby increasing flexibility to enhance adaptation to future change. In this way, a
substantive theory (Theory of Adaptation to Change) is offered to enable the identification of
areas for intervention and suggest proposals for practice.
It is concluded that IPV-related risk in later life for the group studied (55 to 74 years) is
unrelated to the embodied experience and effects of ageing per se. The analysis suggests an
interplay between situations of change in later life, individual continuities, and the prevailing
gender structure. In summary, this study foregrounds the intersection between age and
gender in the context of IPV.
Date of Award | 23 Jan 2024 |
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Original language | English |
Awarding Institution |
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Supervisor | Natasha Mulvihill (Supervisor) & Marianne Hester (Supervisor) |