Frederick P. Buttell

Reducing Juvenile Recidivism: Evaluating the Wraparound Services Model

Objective: The purpose of this study was to (a) evaluate the relative effectiveness of wraparound services versus conventional services for juvenile delinquent youth and (b) create a predictive model that would assist the juvenile court system in correctly identifying youth at greatest risk of reoffending. Method: The study employed a pretest/posttest, control group design, with 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-up assessments, of 141 youth court-ordered into community-based treatment programs for delinquent youth. Results: Analysis indicated that few of the variables studied differentiated between wraparound services recipients and conventional service recipients. However, a logistic regression model was developed that correctly predicted recidivism for 79% of the sample at the 6-month follow-up assessment (chi-square = 27.211, df =6, p = .0001) and 78% of the sample at the 18-month follow-up assessment (chi-square = 16.453, df =8, p = .036). Conclusions: Implications of the findings for improving community-based juvenile diversion programs for delinquent youth were explored and discussed.

A Multidimensional Evaluation of a Treatment Program for Female Batterers: A Pilot Study

The purpose of the study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of a batterer intervention program by investigating changes in psychological variables related to abuse (i.e., truthfulness, violence, lethality, control, and stress coping abilities) between pretreatment and posttreatment assessments in a sample of women involuntarily placed in treatment. This study evaluated arrest records for a period of 12 months following treatment completion to determine the association between changes on these psychological variables and recidivism. The study employed a secondary analysis of 26 treatment completers involuntarily referred into treatment for domestic violence offenses. Analysis indicated that treatment completers were less passive/aggressive and less likely to use physical force on their partners at the conclusion of the treatment program. Implications of the findings for social workers providing treatment services to female domestic violence offenders are explored and discussed.

Do Batterer Intervention Programs Serve African American and Caucasian Batterers Equally Well? An Investigation of a 26-Week Program

Objective: The purpose of the study was to (a) evaluate a 26-week batterer intervention program by investigating changes in psychological variables related to abuse (i.e., truthfulness, violence, lethality, control, substance use, and coping abilities) between pretreatment and post treatment assessments in a sample of men involuntarily placed in treatment and (b) to investigate the differential effectiveness of this same program for African American and Caucasian batterers. Method: The study employed a secondary analysis of 142 treatment-completers who were randomly selected from a larger pool of 733 men. Results: Analysis failed to provide empirical support for the contention that both African American and Caucasian batterers would demonstrate significant changes, in the desired direction, on psychological variables related to violence, as a result of their participation in a 26-week batterer treatment program. Conclusion: Implications of the findings for social workers are explored and discussed.

Investigating the Differential Effectiveness of a Batterer Treatment Program on Outcomes for African American and Caucasian Batterers

Objective: This study (a) evaluated a batterer intervention program (BIP) by investigating changes in psychological variables (i.e., truthfulness, violence, lethality, control, alcohol use, drug use, and stress-coping abilities) between pretreatment and posttreatment assessments in a sample of court-mandated batterers and (b) investigated the differential effectiveness of this same BIP for African American and Caucasian batterers. Method: The study employed a one-group pretest/posttest design, with 12-month follow-up data, to investigate changes in Domestic Violence Inventory (DVI) scores among 91 men, 57% African American, court ordered into a BIP. Results: Analysis indicated that (a) court-ordered batterers demonstrate significant changes, in the desired direction, on psychological variables related to domestic violence, as a result of participation in a court-mandated BIP and (b) there was no significant difference in changes on these psychological variables between African American and Caucasian batterers. Conclusion: Implications of the findings for enhancing intervention efforts with court-ordered batterers were discussed.

A large sample investigation of batterer intervention program attrition: Evaluating the impact of state program standards

Objective: The purpose of this study was to (a) investigate differences in demographic and psychological variables between treatment completers and dropouts among abusive men entering a court-mandated treatment program and (b) evaluate the goodness of fit of a logistic regression model for predicting attrition developed on a 16-week program by applying that model to the 26-week program. Method: The study employed a secondary analysis of 1,702 men, 850 completers and 852 dropouts, randomly selected from a larger pool of 3,595 men in court-ordered treatment. Results: Analysis indicated that few of the demographic and psychological variables differentiated between completers and dropouts. A logistic regression model for the 26-week program was developed that correctly predicted treatment completion for 60% of the sample and that employed some of the same predictor variables as the 16-week model. Conclusion: Implications for predicting attrition using logistic regression models for enhancing retention rates were explored and discussed.

A Large Sample Evaluation of a Court-Mandated Batterer Intervention Program: Investigating Differential Program Effect for African American and Caucasian Men.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to (a) evaluate a 26-week batterer intervention program by investigating changes in psychological variables related to abuse (i.e., truthfulness, violence, lethality, control, alcohol use, drug use, and stress coping abilities) between pretreatment and posttreatment assessments in a large sample of men involuntarily placed in treatment and (b) investigate the differential effectiveness of this same batterer intervention program for African American and Caucasian batterers. Method: The study employed a secondary analysis of 850 treatment completers. Results: The findings of this study suggest that the court-ordered batterers comprising this sample demonstrate significant changes in the desired direction on psychological variables related to domestic violence, as a result of participation in a court-mandated treatment program, with no significant difference in terms of magnitude of change on these same psychological variables between African American and Caucasian batterers. Conclusion: Implications of the findings for social workers were explored and discussed.

An Application of Attachment Theory to Court-Mandated Batterers

The purpose of this study was to investigate levels of interpersonal dependency, an indicator of insecure attachment in adulthood, among batterers court-mandated into domestic violence treatment. The study collected data from 158 batterers beginning treatment and 25 nonviolent men. Analysis indicated that batterers demonstrated significantly elevated levels of interpersonal dependency, relative to the nonviolent comparison group. These findings indicate that more research is needed before the role of interpersonal dependency in the etiology and maintenance of domestic violence can be understood.

A Multidimensional Assessment of a Batterer Treatment Program: An Alert to a Problem?.

This study’s goals were to (a) evaluate a batterer intervention program by investigating changes in psychological variables related to abuse (i.e., truthfulness, violence, lethality, control, substance use, and coping abilities) between pretreatment and posttreatment assessments of men involuntarily placed in treatment and (b) investigate the differential effectiveness of this same program for African American and Caucasian batterers. Arrest records were also evaluated 12 months following treatment completion to determine the association between changes on these psychological variables and recidivism. The study employed a secondary analysis of 76 treatment completers randomly selected from a larger pool of 184 men. Analysis failed to provide empirical support for the contention that both African American and Caucasian batterers would demonstrate significant changes in the desired direction on psychological variables related to violence as a result of participation in a treatment program. Implications of the findings for social workers were discussed.

An Evaluation of a Court-Mandated Batterer Intervention Program: Investigating Differential Program Effect for African American and White Women

Objective: The purpose of this study is to (a) evaluate a 16-week batterer intervention program by investigating changes in psychological variables related to abuse between pretreatment and posttreatment assessments in a sample of women involuntarily placed in treatment and (b) to investigate the differential effectiveness of this same batterer intervention program for African American and White batterers. Method: The study employed a secondary analysis of 59 treatment completers. Results: The findings of this study suggest that the court-ordered batterers constituting this sample demonstrate significant changes, in the desired direction, on psychological variables related to domestic violence, as a result of participation in a court-mandated treatment program, and there was no significant difference in terms of magnitude of change on these same psychological variables between African American and White batterers, indicating that the treatment program was reaching both groups equally well. Conclusion: Implications of the findings for social workers were explored and discussed.

Exploring the Relevance of Interpersonal Dependency as a Treatment Issue in Batterer Intervention

Objective: The purpose of the study was to (a) investigate the pretreatment levels of interpersonal dependency and violence among men entering a 16-week, court-mandated, batterer intervention program (BIP) and determine if there were any associations between interpersonal dependency and violence and (b) evaluate the treatment effect of a standard BIP in altering levels of interpersonal dependency among treatment completers. Method: The study employed a secondary analysis of 114 men, 56 treatment completers and 58 dropouts. Results: Analysis indicated that men who assault women and are court ordered into treatment are excessively dependent on their intimate partners prior to beginning treatment, that level of interpersonal dependency is unrelated to a multidimensional conceptualization of domestic violence (i.e., psychological aggression, physical assault, sexual coercion and injury), and that the BIP did not alter the level of interpersonal dependency among treatment completers. Conclusion: Implications of the findings for social workers were explored and discussed.