Masculine Gender-Role Stress, Anger, and Male Intimate Abusiveness: Implications for Men's Relationships

Abstract

Many men who are strongly committed to the traditional male role experience masculine gender-role stress (MGRS) when faced with situations they perceive as posing a threat to their masculine identity. Men who experience high levels of MGRS often turn to substance abuse as a means of managing insecurities regarding male role expectations, which may increase their risk of engaging in verbally and physically abusive behavior. In the present investigation, we examined the association between MGRS, anger, and intimately abusive behavior among substance-abusing men. Our sample consisted of 57% White and 43% African American male substance abusers. Approximately 72% of participants reported earning less than $20,000; about 19% earned between $20,000 and $39,999; 4% earned between $40,000 and $59,999; 5% earned between $60,000 and $79,999, and less than 1% reported earning over $80,000. It was hypothesized that, compared with low-MGRS substance-abusing men, high-MGRS substance-abusing men would report higher levels of anger and would be more likely to report engaging in verbally and physically abusive behavior directed at their female partners. In general, support was found for these hypotheses. Our results indicate that high-MGRS substance-abusing men experience higher levels of anger and that they were more likely to have engaged in abusive behavior in the context of their intimate relationships with female partners.