Michael A. Rothery

Residents' Views of the Efficacy of Shelter Services for Assaulted Women

Although shelters for abused women are common across North America, few have been evaluated. This qualitative study consisted of in-depth interviews with 63 shelter residents. Thirty-five of these women were interviewed in follow-ups 4 to 6 months later. In each interview, they were asked what they found helpful during their shelter stay. Residents were positive about the supportive nature of the staff, safety, relationships with other residents, and the child care. Residents expressed some concerns about the availability of counseling from busy staff and the appropriateness of some shelter residents. Generally, the women endorse shelters as resources that save lives.

An Evaluation of Men’s Batterer Treatment Groups

Objective: Fifteen treatment groups for men who abused intimate partners were evaluated. Method: 104 men took part, with a completion rate of 68.3%. Scores on social desirability were utilized to adjust totals on other self-report scales. Results: Group completers (n = 71) were no different from dropouts (n = 33) on the adjusted standardized measures or demographics. Group completion was associated with significant improvements on the adjusted variables of appraisal social support, self-esteem, perceived stress, attitudes toward marriage and the family, locus of control, and the marital relationship functions of roles, affective expression, and communication. Importantly, adjusted scores on both the Physical and Non-Physical Abuse subscales of the Index of Spouse Abuse were significantly reduced, the latter to below the clinical cutoff. No differences were found between court-mandated and non-court-mandated group completers. Conclusions: The utility of using social desirability to adjust scores is highlighted. The implications for group treatment are discussed.

Evaluating the Effect of Group Process and Client Variables in Support Groups for Battered Women

Although support groups for battered women are a widely used intervention, little research has been conducted on their efficacy. This article presents a rationale for support groups as the intervention of choice for assaulted women and describes the available research. This secondary analysts of outcome data from a previously published study of 76 women in 12 different support groups investigates the effects of various group process vanables and client characteristics. The group variables selected for discussion include group size and attendance, whether participants completed the group as opposed to dropping out, and the number of group leaders (1 or 2). Client characteristics include whether the client still resides with her assaultive partner, recontracted versus first-time clients, and age. The results are discussed in light of their implications for developing and planning effective support groups for assaulted women.

A Comparison of Women Who Were Mandated and Nonmandated to the “Responsible Choices for Women” Group

Since 1995, the Calgary Counselling Centre has offered a group treatment program for women who behave abusively to intimate partners or children. This article describes the group format, the demographic characteristics of the 293 women who began the Responsible Choices for Women program based on whether they were mandated to treatment or not, and a comparison of those who completed treatment versus those who dropped out. Data from a total of 154 women found significant improvements on almost all outcome measures. Womens status as mandated or nonmandated did not affect treatment outcomes, despite the fact that the nonmandated women reported more scores in the clinical range at pretest. The clinical implications of these results are described.

Group Treatment for Aggressive Women: An Initial Evaluation

There is virtually no information or research on group treatment for women who may behave abusively to intimate partners. The Calgary Counseling Centre has offered a group treatment program for such clients, Responsible Choices for Women, over the past several years. This paper describes the group format, the demographic characteristics of the 64 women who began the group, and a comparison of those who completed treatment versus those who dropped out. The pre/mid/post-test group evaluation utilized measures of physical and non-physical partner abuse, self-esteem, depression, clinical stress, marital satisfaction, family relations, locus of control, sex roles, and assertiveness. The repeated measures analysis on data from 33 women found statistically significant improvements on non-physical abuse of partner, clinical stress, generalized contentment, self-esteem and assertiveness, using a conservative p-value of .009, given the use of multiple tests. Clinical implications of these results are described.

You're not alone: mental health outcomes in therapy groups for abused women

Few evaluations have assessed the outcomes of group therapy for women abused by intimate partners. Most group programs emphasize support rather than offering therapy, although women abused by partners often present with significant clinical mental health issues. This paper describes, “You’re Not Alone,” a 14-week therapy group model for women abused by intimate partners informed by a narrative approach Jenkins (The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 12 (4), 186-195 1991). The results present the demographic characteristics of the 379 women who began group, and a comparison of those who completed treatment (N = 214) versus those who dropped out (N = 165). Women with less income and a psychiatric history were less likely to complete group, as were women with higher depression, clinical stress, and mental health symptoms. The pretest/posttest outcome evaluation for the completers used measures of mental health symptoms, self-esteem, depression, and clinical stress, finding statistically significant improvements on most measures with moderate effect sizes. Practice implications and suggestions are presented.

Women in IPV Treatment for Abusers and Women in IPV Survivor Groups: Different or Two Sides of the Same Coin?

The Calgary Counselling Centre offers therapy groups for both women whose partners abuse them, “You’re Not Alone” (YNA) and women who abuse partners, “Responsible Choices for Women” (RCW). The study examines 262 group members (157 RCW & 105 YNA), comparing their demographics and scores on measures of physical and non-physical partner abuse, and mental health symptoms. At pretest, women in YNA reported significantly more problematic depression, anxiety, general distress and trauma symptoms than women in the RCW program. Nevertheless, the factorial repeated measures analysis of variance on pretest/posttest data from 177 women found statistically significant improvements on all four outcomes measures for women in both groups, although women in the YNA survivor groups made the most improvements on depression, stress and general distress. Clinical implications are described.