Regardt J. Ferreira

A survey of domestic violence perpetrator programs in the United States and Canada: findings and implications for policy and intervention

A 15-page questionnaire, the North American Domestic Violence Intervention Program Survey, was sent to directors of 3,246 domestic violence perpetrator programs (also known as batterer intervention programs, or BIPs) in the United States and Canada. Respondent contact information was obtained from state Coalitions Against Domestic Violence and from various government agencies (e.g., Attorney General) available on the Internet. Two hundred thirty-eight programs completed and returned the questionnaire, a response rate of 20%. The survey yielded descriptive data on respondent characteristics; program philosophy, structure, content, and service; client characteristics; treatment approach and adjunct services; and group facilitator views on intervention approaches and domestic violence policy and treatment standards. The programs varied in the extent to which they adhere to treatment approaches suggested by the empirical research literature. In addition, chi-square analyses were conducted on the associations between several factors. Significant correlations were found between respondent low level of education and adherence to a feminist-gendered program philosophy; respondent low level of education and use of a shorter assessment protocol; feminist-gendered program philosophy and incorrect facilitator knowledge about domestic violence; and feminist-gendered program philosophy and a program focus on power and control as the primary cause of domestic violence.

Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs: A Proposal for Evidence-Based Standards in the United States

In the United States, the judicial system response to violence between intimate partners, or intimate partner violence (IPV), typically mandates that adjudicated perpetrators complete a batterer intervention program (BIP). The social science data has found that these programs, on the whole, are only minimally effective in reducing rates of IPV. The authors examined the social science literature on the characteristics and efficacy of BIPs. More than 400 studies were considered, including a sweeping, recently conducted survey of BIP directors across the United States and Canada. Results of this review indicate that the limitations of BIPs are due, in large part, to the limitations of current state standards regulating these programs and, furthermore, that these standards are not grounded in the body of empirical research evidence or best practices. The authors, all of whom have considerable expertise in the area of domestic violence perpetrator treatment, conducted an exhaustive investigation of the following key intervention areas: overall effectiveness of BIPs; length of treatment/length of group sessions; number of group participants and number of facilitators; group format and curriculum; assessment protocol and instruments; victim contact; modality of treatment; differential treatment; working with female perpetrators; working with perpetrators in racial and ethnic minority groups; working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) perpetrators; perpetrator treatment and practitioner–client relationships; and required practitioner education and training. Recommendations for evidence-based national BIP standards were made based on findings from this review.

Can a “Psychosocial Model” Help Explain Violence Perpetrated by Female Batterers?

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the psychosocial predictors of propensity for abusiveness among a large sample of women ordered into a 26-week batterer intervention program (BIP). Method: The study employed a nonequivalent, control group design (comparing program completers to dropouts) in a secondary analysis of 485 women. Results: Analysis indicated that (1) there were no significant differences between program completers and dropouts on their propensity for abusiveness. (2) There are specific family of origin indicators associated with higher levels of propensity for abusiveness among women batterers. (3) Family of origin indicators leading to increased propensity for abusiveness were significantly different among racial groups. Conclusion: These findings reveal characteristics of women batterers, as they relate to the propensity for abusiveness and provide preliminary evidence suggesting exposure to various forms of violence in family of origin helps explain the use of violence by adult women against their intimate partners.

Male Parenting Attitudes and Batterer Intervention Assessing Child Maltreatment Risk

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between parenting attitudes and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and identify factors associated with program completion for a 26-week batterer intervention program (BIP). Method: The study employed a nonequivalent, control-group design (comparing program completers to dropouts) in a secondary analysis of 111 men court ordered to the BIP. Results: Correlational and logistic regression analysis indicated (1) a modest relationship between the parenting attitudes and the IPV perpetration, (2) a significant model for predicting parenting attitudes scores using number of children and racial group, and (3) BIP treatment completion could be successfully predicted by education. Conclusion: These findings reveal characteristics of male batterers, as they relate to parenting attitudes and provide preliminary evidence suggesting that men in treatment for IPV offenses endorse a host of negative parenting attitudes. Implications of these findings were explored and discussed.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Resilience and growth in the aftermath of postdisaster intimate partner violence

ABSTRACT Given the multifaceted disruptions caused by disaster, and how disaster intersects with intimate partner violence (IPV), this study identifies the resilience and self-mastery characteristics of IPV survivors in the aftermath of disaster. The study is guided by the conservation of resources theory (COR-theory), utilizing a resource loss and resource protection analytical model to determine predictors of resilience and self-mastery. A cross-sectional design was used that included secondary data generated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gulf State Population Survey. Analysis involved employing a series of multiple regression models, comparing resilience outcomes of non-IPV and IPV populations who experienced the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event. Results indicated that those respondents who reported experiencing IPV had stronger reactions to resource loss and resource protection, relative to the non-IPV sample. The study identifies implications for social service workers including the importance of cultivating basic resources when working with individuals and families affected by postdisaster IPV. Applying the resilience prediction model immediately postdisaster will allow first responders to make informed, evidence-based decisions about where and with whom to deploy their resources.

Gender and Batterer Intervention: Implications of a Program Evaluation for Policy and Treatment.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of gender and other variables commonly associated with intimate partner abuse perpetration on program completion and pretreatment abusiveness profiles among a sample of men and women ordered into a 52-week batterer intervention program (BIP). Method: The study employed a posttest only design with nonequivalent groups (comparing program completers to dropouts and men to women) in an analysis of 175 clients mandated into a BIP. Results: Analysis indicated that there were no significant differences between men and women in terms of program completion and that women were significantly more likely than men to report engaging in severe physical abuse perpetration, and a logistic regression analysis indicated that dropouts were 6 times more likely to have initiated physical abuse compared to completers. Conclusion: These findings reveal characteristics of BIP program participants as they relate to self-reported abusiveness and provide preliminary evidence suggesting that both BIP pretreatment profiles and treatment completion rates of men and women are similar, with implications for policy and treatment.

Resilience and knowledge of PTSD symptoms in military spouses.

The spouse of a military service member is in a special position to understand the behaviors of a service member better than anyone. These individuals live with the military members and are able to detect changes in behavior and increased stress reactions. Yet, there is limited published research focusing on spouses’ levels of awareness of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTSD symptoms. This study was conducted to explore 2 areas of interest. The research team first wanted to determine if military spouses with knowledge of PTSD signs and symptoms demonstrated a higher level of resilience, and second, if military spouses with more access to helpful resources, for those experiencing symptoms of PTSD, demonstrated a higher level of resilience. A total of 127 spouses completed an online survey to assess the level of resilience possessed by military spouses in relation to their knowledge of PTSD symptoms and their access to resources. Resilience was measured by using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Results showed that as the knowledge of PTSD symptoms and access to helpful resources increased, the ability to be resilient is increased by over 1.5 times. The study collects information from this important, hard to reach population and offers to fill a knowledge gap on this topic.

Male Batterer Parenting Attitudes: Investigating Differences between African American and Caucasian Men.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the differences between intimate partner violence (IPV) and parenting attitudes by race by comparing demographic, parenting, and IPV indicators for African American and White men. Method: The study employed a nonequivalent, control group design in a secondary analysis of 111 men. Results: Analyses indicated that (1) African American men had more children; (2) chi-square tests revealed no statistically significant differences between African American and Caucasian men with respect to IPV perpetration and parenting attitudes; and (3) a logistic regression model indicated that the number of children and a higher risk category for parenting attitudes were significant predictors of race group membership. Conclusion: These findings reveal that having more children is related to a higher level of stress on intimate partner relationships, and these stressors are not evenly distributed across racial groups. Batterer intervention programs should include parenting skills to help perpetrators better cope with such stresses.

Understanding Female Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration, Parenting Attitudes, and Batterer Intervention Program Completion

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of parenting attitudes and widely used indicators of intimate partner violence perpetration on program completion in a sample of women required to attend a 26-week batterer intervention program. Methods: This research used a nonequivalent, control-group design in a secondary analysis of 146 women. Results: Analysis showed that (a) logistic regression indicated a statistically significant model for predicting Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory scores using level of education and racial group; (b) logistic regression also demonstrated that treatment completion could be successfully predicted by Revise Conflict Tactics Scale Negotiation score and referral status (e.g., regular court, criminal domestic violence court, and pretrial intervention). Conclusions: These analyses illustrate characteristics of female batterers as they connect to parenting attitudes and offer initial evidence suggesting that women in treatment for intimate partner violence perpetration display a host of negative parenting attitudes. Implications of these results were investigated and considered.

Critical Race Theory, Parenting, and Intimate Partner Violence: Analyzing Race and Gender

Purpose: This study sought to investigate similarities and differences among race, gender, parenting attitudes, and conflict negotiation tactics of perpetrators of intimate partner violence in a batterer intervention program. Method: This research utilized a nonequivalent, control group secondary analysis of 238 women and men. Results: Logistic regression indicated (1) an increased likelihood for scoring higher on the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2) physical assault subscale and Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2) high-risk parenting group for those in the African American category compared to the White category; (2) African American women are more likely to be unemployed, score higher on the CTS-2 Physical Assault subscale, and in the high-risk AAPI-2 parenting group than African American men; and (3) White women are more likely to experience injury and score in the high-risk AAPI-2 group compared to White men. Conclusions: Critical race theory provides a necessary understanding of these findings within structural inequality in the United States. Further results and implications are discussed.