Psychologists are trying to break down perceptions around family violence, with research showing men are victims far more than people think.

A new report has reviewed hundreds of Intimate Partner Family Violence studies, and identifies a femicentric approach which is designed to protect the interests of women and children.

"Those figures actually showed that 57% of family violence deaths were of men. But they ignored that and only focused upon the female victims," Laven says.

However, co-author Hans Laven says men are often victims, but struggle to do anything about it.

"If a man phones the police to come and attend a domestic violence incident in which the man is being abused, the police are likely to issue him with a police safety order, or order him to leave the home," he says.

Hans Laven says men don't speak up about family violence, and there's nothing in place to support them when they do.