Content uploaded by Larry Bennett
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Larry Bennett on Dec 14, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
Substance Abuse by Men in Partner Abuse Intervention Programs: Current Issues and Promising Trends
Abstract
This article discusses key studies linking intervention for co-occurring substance abuse and partner abuse. Findings are grouped into three areas: (a) the effect of addictions treatment on partner violence; (b) application of transtheoretical, motivational, and culturally focused approaches to improve engagement and prevent attrition; and (c) assessment-based matching of services. Finally, the relative value of serial, coordinated, and integrated substance abuse programs and partner abuse intervention programs are considered. We reached three primary conclusions: (a) Addiction treatment alone reduces the risk for future domestic violence in a subset of men who batter, (b) screening and assessment for substance abuse by all men in partner abuse intervention programs is a standard of practice but needs to extend beyond "intake" and occur periodically, and (c) coordinated and integrated substance abuse and domestic violence programs probably offer more safety than traditional serial substance abuse treatment followed by partner abuse intervention.
... The strong link between alcohol abuse and IPV led the World Health Organization (2010) to recommend the reduction of alcohol abuse through prevention interventions as a strategy to reduce IPV. However, as L. W. Bennett (2008) noted, alcohol abuse and IPV have often been viewed as "separate problems with different interventions" (p. 237). ...
... In this context, an issue that has received little attention in the existing literature is what happens to perpetrators with AAPs who remain in BIPs that do not specifically address AAPs (for an exception, see Hamberger & Hastings, 1990). As L. W. Bennett (2008) noted, BIPs and alcohol abuse treatments share activities and work on similar variables (e.g., anger, stress). Also, both types of interventions are usually group-based and focus on attitude change and recidivism/relapse prevention. ...
... Our second aim was to analyze whether perpetrators with AAPs completing a BIP reduced their alcohol consumption. As anticipated by L. W. Bennett (2008), the results of our study show a significant reduction in consumption among the perpetrators with AAPs, even though no specific intervention was made to treat the problem. This reduction may be due to various factors such as, for example, the therapists' supervision and guidance, learning healthy alternatives for conflict resolution, and/or support from the intervention group and the therapists in the BIP. ...
There is general consensus that alcohol abuse is a risk factor to be considered in batterer intervention programs. Intimate partner violence perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems are more likely to dropout of batterer intervention programs. However, there is little research on intimate partner violence perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems completing batterer intervention programs. In this study, we analyze drop-out rates among perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems and explore whether perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems completing a batterer intervention program differ from those who do not have alcohol abuse problems in a number of outcomes. The sample was 286 males convicted for intimate partner violence against women, attending a community-based batterer intervention program. Final (i.e., recidivism) and proximal (i.e., risk of recidivism, responsibility attributions, attitudes toward violence, sexism, psychological adjustment, and social integration) intervention outcomes were analyzed. Chi-square test, binary logistic regression, and one-way ANOVA were conducted. Results confirmed higher dropout rates among perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems. Results also showed a reduction in alcohol abuse among perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems completing the batterer intervention program. Finally, results showed that, regardless of alcohol abuse problems, perpetrators who completed the batterer intervention program showed improvements in all intervention outcomes analyzed. Perpetrators both with and without alcohol abuse problems can show positive changes after completing an intervention program and, in this regard, the present study highlights the need to design more effective adherence strategies for intimate partner violence perpetrators, especially for those with alcohol abuse problems.
... In alignment with emerging frameworks, such as the RNR model (17) and the PEI approach (25), there is an urgent need for interventions that address the specific risks and needs of IPV perpetrators to effectively mitigate key risk factors, including ADUPs (18,23). However, IPV perpetrators with co-occurring ADUPs have traditionally been referred to separate programs for IPV intervention and addiction treatment, often located in different facilities and administered by distinct services, which is both timeand cost-consuming (92,97,98). This lack of integrated approaches contributes to negative outcomes, including the high dropout rates and low treatment engagement often found in these participants (27,29,99). ...
... These findings suggest that integrated, motivation-based interventions hold significant promise for addressing the needs of IPV perpetrators with co-occurring ADUPs (71)(72)(73). However, as Eckhardt et al. (97) recently emphasized: "effective interventions that break this robust and complicated association are under development but are limited in number and availability" (p. 2412). ...
Introduction
The incorporation of motivational strategies has shown promising results in increasing the effectiveness of intervention programs for intimate partner violence perpetrators, such as enhancing treatment adherence and decreasing risk of intimate partner violence recidivism. This could be particularly important for participants with alcohol and/or other drug use problems (ADUPs), who are at higher risk of recidivating and dropping out from the intervention. Consequently, there is a need to study whether motivational strategies are also effective for high-risk and highly resistant participants. The aim of this study was to determine whether the incorporation of motivational strategies led to improved outcomes in participants with ADUPs compared to those without.
Methods
Participants were intimate partner violence male perpetrators who received a standard intervention (n = 349) or a standard intervention adding an individualized motivational plan (n = 367). Data on official intimate partner violence recidivism, intervention dose, and dropout were collected after the end of the intervention. Comparisons were made between participants with and without ADUPs in each intervention condition.
Results
Results showed that in the full sample of participants, irrespective of their condition, those with ADUPs presented a higher recidivism (p = .007) and dropout rate (p = .003) and lower intervention dose than those without ADUPs (p = .005). When only considering participants in the standard intervention, results also showed that intimate partner violence perpetrators with ADUPs had a higher recidivism (p = .025) and dropout rate (p = .015) and lower intervention dose (p = .048) than those without. However, there were no significant differences between participants with and without ADUPs in the standard intervention adding an individualized motivational plan.
Discussion
When incorporating motivational strategies into the standard interventions for intimate partner violence perpetrators, disparities between participants with and without ADUPs were mitigated. Specifically, participants with ADUPs showed similar outcomes to those without ADUPs after receiving the standard intervention adding an individualized motivational plan. Our results suggest that motivational strategies may be effective in reducing intimate partner violence recidivism and improving treatment adherence in high-risk and highly resistant intimate partner violence perpetrators.
... BIP participants with alcohol and/or drug abuse problems (ADAPs) are among the most high-risk and highly resistant groups of IPVAW offenders (Bennett, 2008;Crane et al., 2015;Romero-Martínez et al., 2019a). ADAPs are one of the strongest correlates of IPVAW (Foran & O'Leary, 2008;Langenderfer, 2013;Leonard & Quigley, 2017;Moore & Stuart, 2004;WHO, 2010), and around 50% of BIP participants have some type of substance abuse problem (Crane et al., 2015;Kraanen et al., 2010;Stuart et al., 2003;Stuart et al., 2009). ...
... Clearly, substance abuse problems remain a key intervention target for BIP participants with ADAPs, and a major challenge is how to combine alcohol and drug abuse reduction strategies alongside IPVAW to produce better BIP outcomes. Bennett (2008) described different approaches to combine ADAPs and IPVAW interventions (i.e., consecutive, parallel or integrated interventions). Research seems to favor integrated interventions as they provide a number of advantages over consecutive and parallel approaches, such as needing fewer professionals, saving time, or increasing the probability of participants attending and completing the intervention (Gilchrist & Hegarty, 2017;Leonard & Quigley, 2017;McMurran, 2017). ...
The aim of the present study was to identify the main risk factors and treatment needs of batterer intervention program (BIP) participants with alcohol and drug abuse problems (ADAPs), beyond issues strictly related to their substance abuse, taking into account four sets of variables: sociodemographic (i.e., age, educational level, income, employment, and immigrant status); personality disorders and psychological adjustment (i.e., clinical symptomatology, personality disorders, anger, impulsivity, and self-esteem); social-relational variables (i.e., community support, intimate support, stressful life events, and perceived social rejection); and violence-related variables (i.e., family violence exposure, perceived severity of intimate partner violence against women [IPVAW], ambivalent sexism, risk of future violence, physical and psychological intimate partner violence, motivation to change, and stage of change). The study was based on a sample of 1,039 male IPVAW offenders court-mandated to a community-based BIP. Results from comparisons between BIP participants with and without ADAPs were interpreted in terms of effect sizes to highlight the most salient differences. Differences with moderate effect sizes were found for clinical symptomatology, anger trait, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, stressful life events, motivation to change and stage of change. Differences with large effect sizes were found for impulsivity, antisocial disorder, borderline disorder, and aggressive disorder. Several intervention strategies are proposed to guide and adjust interventions to risk factors and treatment needs of BIP participants with ADAPs.
... Given ID:p0310 the research on IPV that shows relatively high rates of mental health issues and substance use among perpetrators (Bell & Orcutt, 2009;Brasfield et al., 2012;Lipsky et al., 2005;Moore & Stuart, 2004;Rhodes et al., 2009;Shorey et al., 2012;Stuart et al., 2008), it is not surprising that we found a high overlap between IPV perpetration and mental health, and drug and alcohol issues. The bulk of research on concordant treatment approaches has focused however, on substance use, and in particular on alcohol use among perpetrators (Bennett & Bland, 2008;Bennett, 2008;Easton et al., 2007;Goldkamp, Weiland, Collins, & White, 1996;Gondolf, 1999Gondolf, , 2007Gondolf, , 2008aGondolf, , 2008bGondolf, , 2009aGondolf, , 2009bMurphy, Musser, & Maton, 1998;O'Farrell, Fals-Stewart, Murphy, & Murphy, 2004;Schumacher et al., 2003;Stuart, O'Farrell, & Temple, 2009;Stuart et al., 2003Stuart et al., , 2007Stuart et al., , 2013Timko et al., 2012;Timko, Valenstein, Stuart, & Moos, 2015). In general, this research has found positive outcomes in terms of reductions of abusive behaviors, and underscored the need to offer substance use treatment alongside batterer intervention (Easton et al., 2007;Goldkamp et al., 1996;Gondolf, 1999;O'Farrell et al., 2004;Schumacher et al., 2003;Stuart et al., 2003). ...
... As others have suggested, then, how BIPs manage clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues may be important. BIPs that strive to coordinate treatment (as opposed to referring out and relying on clients to follow through) or offer treatment onsite may have greater success in achieving client follow through (Bennett & Bland, 2008;Bennett, 2008;Gondolf, 2007Gondolf, , 2008aGondolf, , 2009aGondolf, , 2009b. Furthermore, other research suggests that therapeutic modalities that utilize less confrontational approaches (e.g., motivational interviewing), and/or focus on strength-based or trauma-focused approaches may be more successful in terms of retention and reducing recidivism, particularly for clients with co-occurring behavioral health issues (Crane & Eckhardt, 2013;Kistenmacher & Weiss, 2008;Lila, Gracia, & Catalá-Miñana, 2018;Maiuro & Eberle, 2008;Murphy & Eckhardt, 2005;Musser, Semiatin, Taft, & Murphy, 2008;Simmons, 2009;Taft, Murphy, Musser, & Remington, 2004). ...
Limited information exists on the extent to which male perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) are engaged in the use of human services for co-occuringpsychosocial and health issues. The current analysis uses administrative data from one batterer intervention program (BIP) and data from the local Department of Human Services to explore perpetrators' engagement with human services, and the relationship of that use to timing and completion of the BIP. Data for 330 adult male clients referred to the participating BIP from 2010 to 2015 were collected. A majority (63%) had engaged in at least one human service program. The most common kind of service was mental health (46%). The most specific service engagement was child welfare as a parent (41%). Engagement largely concluded prior to beginning the BIP. BIP completers had less service use overall. Future work should explore how these services could be utilized to improve the success of BIPs and reduce perpetration.
... Nery da Silva et al.4 reported that the "spouse/husband/boyfriend" had the highest incidence as the aggressor followed by "ex-spouse/ex-husband/ex-boyfriend" in women as victims of interpersonal violence. Similarly, in the present study, the assailants were closely connected with the victim by being a current partner in 79.5%, an ex-partner in 12.8%, and a member of immediate family in other 7.8% of cases.There is vivid evidence of the association between substance abuse and acts of domestic violence.9,32,33 The finding that almost half of the assailants in cases of domestic violence were drug-ad-dicted advocates this association. ...
Background/Aim
This study aimed to analyze the frequency and pattern of maxillofacial injuries associated with domestic violence.
Materials and Methods
Medical records of victims of domestic violence between May 2016 and May 2023 were scrutinized retrospectively. The following data were analyzed: gender and age, history of previous abuse, hospital admission, pregnancy, type of facial injuries, anatomical location of injuries, side of injuries, concomitant injuries, mechanism of impact, treatment modality, and history of drug and alcohol abuse.
Results
Seventy‐eight patients were included, comprising of 75 (96.2%) women and 3 (3.8%) men. Domestic violence was an etiology of 2.7% of all maxillofacial injuries. The mean age was 27.06 ± 5.5 years. 33.3% of cases had a history of previous domestic violence. The assailant was drug addicted in 47.4% of cases. The attacker was the current partner of the victim in 79.5% of the victims. Soft tissue injuries were found in 96.1% of cases. Maxillofacial fracture was observed in 52.6% of victims among which zygoma was the most common (16.7%) followed by the nose and mandible (15.4%). Isolated fracture was observed in 85.3% of patients and 71.8% of the injuries were observed on the left. Concomitant injuries were present in 51.3% of patients with arms/hands being the most frequent (48.7%). Punch (67.9%) constituted the majority of the mechanism of impact. Based on the statistical analysis, punches resulted in significantly higher soft tissue contusion ( p = .046), and injuries that required no intervention were significantly higher in punched victims ( p = .002).
Conclusion
Maxillofacial soft tissue injuries with or without isolated fracture on the left side of the zygoma, mandibular angle, or nose in association with arms/hands injuries in young adult women could be clues of domestic violence. Appropriate care such as preventive programs for drug or alcohol abuse should be implemented to reduce domestic violence, thereby reducing these injuries.
... 58 59 Mechanisms have been thought to include and not limited to the disruption of the thinking process, manifestations of power, control and hostile personality. 58 Our findings suggest that drugs and alcohol abuse should be taken into account when designing interventions for addressing IPV and family problems. ...
Background
Domestic violence is a global issue of public health concern with detrimental effects on women’s physical, mental and social well-being. There is a paucity of community-based studies assessing the knowledge and attitude of women towards domestic violence in Nigeria.
Objective
To assess knowledge, attitudes, prevalence and associated factors of domestic violence among women in a community in Kaduna, Nigeria.
Design
A descriptive cross-sectional study.
Setting
A selected community in Kaduna South Local Government Area in Kaduna State.
Participants
In total, 170 women aged 15–49 years participated in the study.
Primary and secondary outcome measures
The outcomes were knowledge, attitude and prevalence of domestic violence.
Results
The mean age of the respondents was 28.7+7.9 years. A total of 113 (66.5%) respondents had high level of knowledge about domestic violence with 114 (67.1%) having non-tolerant attitudes towards domestic violence. The lifetime prevalence and 12-month prevalence of domestic violence were 47.1% and 35.3%, respectively. The results of logistic regression identified the educational status of women as a significant predictor of knowledge of domestic violence (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.32; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.68), while marital status (aOR=0.21; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.96), occupation of women (aOR=2.49; 95% CI 1.13 to 5.49), their tolerance of wife beating (aOR=0.33; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.72) and their partners’ consumption habit of alcohol/substance use (aOR=7.91; 95% CI 3.09 to 20.27) were identified as significant predictors of the women’s experience of domestic violence.
Conclusion
Domestic violence was relatively high among women. Though a majority had high level of knowledge about domestic violence, a significant third had tolerant attitudes towards it. Appropriate health interventions need to be implemented by governmental and relevant stakeholders to target negative attitudes and address associated factors of domestic violence against women.
... Furthermore, prior research suggests that BIPs may successfully affect clients' substance use problems even if the BIP does not specifically target substance use reduction. Bennett (2008) noted that BIP completion may positively affect alcohol use among BIP clients given that BIPs and alcohol abuse treatment are closely related in their use of group-based treatment, focus on triggers (e.g., anger, stress) and attitude change, and emphasis on recidivism/relapse prevention and intervention. In fact, one recent study by Lila, Gracia, and Catalá-Miñana (2020) found that BIP completion was associated with self-reported reductions in alcohol use at discharge among BIP clients who endorsed a measure of problem alcohol use at intake even though the BIP did not specifically address alcohol reduction as a change target. ...
The current study assessed attrition in batterer intervention treatment programs (BIPs). The influence of 25 risk and protective factors on treatment “no shows,” “dropouts,” and “completers” were examined for a large sample of male and female intimate partner violence offenders (n = 1,553). Multinomial regression analysis demonstrated that the relationship between risk/protective factors and treatment engagement was different across most factors: No shows were less likely to have a high school diploma/general educational development (GED), be employed, or to be on probation, and more likely to report a mental health problem, or have a history of drug crimes than completers (but not dropouts), while dropouts were more likely to have a history of general violence or property crimes than completers (but not no-shows). These distinctions can inform efforts to improve intake procedures and engagement strategies, and enhance recognition of “red flags” for early treatment disengagement.
... Multiple organizational strategies exist for addressing DV and SA (Bennett, 2008;Macy & Goodbourn, 2012), including ongoing collaboration with a separate organization and expanding activities within a single organization to include attention to the other issue. Some evidence suggests changes in organizational policy and administration are necessary to support combined attention at the program level and that the effectiveness of combined interventions depends on the number of service areas featuring attention to both issues . ...
This study generates practice-based evidence about organizational strategies for addressing co-occurring domestic violence (DV) and substance abuse (SA) using a survey of organizations working on both issues (N = 204). How (the strategies) and how much (the extensiveness) organizations attend to both issues vary by organizational type (DV, SA, or multiservice) and populations served. While most SA and multiservice organizations address DV internally, most DV organizations use external collaborations; all offer services to DV perpetrators at similar rates. Findings underscore the importance of including multiple, nuanced measures of organizational activities related to co-occurring DV and SA in future research.
... Therefore, it seems more appropriate for addiction treatment programs to incorporate interventions that address IPV-P. Moreover, treating both phenomena together in the same clinical setting without using external services for IPV-P makes it more difficult for patients to drop out of treatment (Bennett, 2008). ...
Objective: This article evaluates the treatment effectiveness of an integrated intervention compared with addiction treatment as usual in reducing intimate partner violence perpetration (IPV-P) among patients in a drug addiction intervention program. Method: A parallel, randomized, controlled trial was carried out with repeated measures of assessment (pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up). A sample of 227 consecutive patients was assessed, and 70 patients with IPV-P were selected to participate in the study and then divided into two groups: treatment (n = 34) and control (n = 36). The treatment group participated in an integrated intervention program for addiction and IPV-P, and the control group received the treatment as usual without intervention for IPV-P. Treatment success was defined as the complete absence of IPV-P episodes, both physical and psychological. Results: At the follow-up, the patients in the treatment group showed an IPV-P success rate (60.7%) that was significantly higher (χ2 = 3.85; p < .05) than that of the patients in the control group (31.6%). Moreover, both groups achieved statistically significant improvements in associated variables. Conclusions: The presence of IPV-P should be assessed in drug addiction treatment programs. The combined treatment for addiction and IPV-P seems to be effective.
Background
Problematic alcohol use (PAU) is highly correlated with intimate partner violence perpetration (IPV). However, when treatments for male IPV perpetrators that address alcohol consumption are evaluated, the results are varied. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to assess the differential long-term effectiveness of a standard individual treatment programme for male IPV perpetrators depending on the presence of PAU.
Methods
The sample was composed of 641 male IPV perpetrators who completed a specialized individual treatment programme for gender violence perpetrators. All of the participants were followed for one year after treatment completion.
Results
The effects of PAU on treatment success were evaluated by means of multiple logistic regression analyses. The full model was reliable (χ² = 10.243; df = 3; p =.016), and overall, 88.8% of the predictions were accurate. The findings indicated that the probability of successful treatment does not depend on the presence of PAU.
Conclusions
The relationship between IPV perpetration and PAU is highly complex, and several underlying mechanisms should be further evaluated. Accordingly, interventions should not only screen for alcohol consumption but also for all individual characteristics that might necessitate tailored treatment.
The Transtheoretical Model of Change offers a promising stage-based approach to client–treatment matching to increase the efficacy of batterer treatment. This paper describes the development and validation of the URICA–Domestic Violence (URICA-DV), a four-dimensional stage measure assessing batterers' readiness to end their violence. Two hundred fifty-eight batterers in treatment at two Rhode Island agencies completed a questionnaire that included the URICA-DV, demographics, and measures expected to vary systematically with stage in a manner predicted by the Transtheoretical Model. A cross-validated cluster analysis yielded seven stage clusters based on URICA-DV scores: Reluctant, Immotive, Nonreflective Action, Unprepared Action, Preparticipation, Decision-making, and Participation. Findings provide preliminary evidence of validity of the URICA-DV. For example, participants in the most advanced stage clusters were most likely to have used strategies to end the violence in the last year. They engaged in less partner blame and valued the Pros and minimized the Cons of changing more than counterparts in the earlier stage clusters. Longitudinal research to assess the predictive validity of the URICA-DV is necessary.
Objective: The authors examine the effects of batterer intervention program (BIP) completion on domestic violence re-arrest in an urban system of 30 BIPs with a common set of state standards, common program completion criteria, and centralized criminal justice supervision. Method: 899 men arrested for domestic violence were assessed and completed 1 of 30 BIPs. At 2.4 years after intake, the authors reviewed arrest records and modeled domestic violence re-arrest using instrumental variable estimation and logistic regression. Results: There were 14.3% of completers and 34.7% of noncompleters re-arrested for domestic violence. Completing a BIP reduces the odds of re-arrest 39% to 61%. Conclusions: This study supports efforts to engage and retain men in gender-specific BIPs, as well as the value of examining larger systems of BIPs.
This article reports on findings obtained from a review and analysis of 37 standards for batterer programs in the United States that were in existence as of September 1997. Standards were examined for their content, organized into categories and in addition, by common themes. Information obtained through telephone interviews served to further clarify and expand on the written documents. Standards were distinguishable by whether program compliance to them was mandatory or voluntary. Elements of standards included: (a) accounts about their history, development, and purpose; (b) the protocol and procedures programs should follow; and (c) directives pertaining to program staff ethics and qualifications. The article concludes by providing both an analysis and discussion of the standards, including some suggestions for their improvement.
Objective: This article describes the development, factor structure, concurrent validity, and predictive validity of the Safe At Home instrument, a 35-item self-report measure designed for social work assessment of individuals' readiness to change their intimate partner violence behaviors. Method: Multisite data (five sites, a total of 1,359 men at intake) addressed questions concerning instrument properties. Results: Initial exploratory factor analysis identified three scales that are consistent with the early stages outlined in the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (Precontemplation, Contemplation, and Preparation/Action). Confirmatory factor analysis further supported the three-factor solution. Concurrent and predictive validity were examined on a subset of cases. Conclusions: The Safe At Home instrument has applicability for social work evaluation of batterer's treatment intervention; additional study is needed for reliable use as an individual clinical assessment tool.
According to clinical observations and research findings in other fields, cultural issues may explain the poor outcomes associated with African American men in conventional batterer counseling. Practitioner-researchers recommend culturally focused batterer counseling as an appropriate response to these issues. Culturally focused counseling includes a curriculum that identifies specific cultural topics, counselors that respond to emergent cultural issues, and racially homogeneous groups that encourage disclosure. The outcome research on culturally sensitive counseling and racially homogeneous counseling in general is, however, very limited and offers only tentative support for culturally focused batterer counseling. Only some very preliminary research has been conducted on culturally focused batterer counseling. Clinical trial evaluations that control for cultural identification are therefore needed to substantiate the effectiveness of culturally focused batterer counseling. Other components, such as specialized case management and community linkages and development, might be necessary to achieve a substantial improvement in counseling outcomes.
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.
Although there is ample evidence that alcoholusage is associated with greater frequency, incidenceand severity of spouse battering, there is alsoconsiderable evidence which does not support a direct linkage. This research investigates aheretofore neglected area, the role of substance use ininducing fear in victims. As part of a larger study ofthe police response to battering, 419 female victims of male offenders participated in intensiveinterviews; the sample consisted of 69.9% Black and28.9% White women. All the women had been victims of atleast one occurrence of misdemeanor-level abuse, and many were in chronically abusive relationships.The women participating in this study were moderatelyeducated and relatively young, with a mean age of 30years old. Relationship status was bimodal with roughly equal numbers of married and cohabitingcouples; there were relatively few who were divorced orseparated from their assailants, or were ex-cohabitants.The male partners of women represented in this sample were extremely heavy drinkerscompared to a national sample. The quantity andfrequency of alcohol use was less predictive ofthreatening or physically battering behavior than wasmale drunkenness. Frequent drunkenness was highly correlated withboth threats and with battering. Similarly, victims'fear of their partners was much more strongly associatedwith how frequently they were drunk than with drinking itself.
Background and test data, including information from the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), were systematically collected from four geographically distributed batterer programs as part of a multisite evaluation of batterer intervention (N = 840). The men appeared similar demographically to those in previous portrayals of courtmandated batterers, except that this sample had a greater portion of African American and Latino men than did previous studies. Several dichotomies appear among the men that might influence intervention, such as differences in living arrangements, education, employment, and drinking. Over half of the men in the sample had been arrested for offenses other than domestic violence. Over half of the men had “alcoholic” tendencies according to the MAST, and over one quarter showed evidence of severe mental disorders on the MCMI-III. The four programs reflected regional differences in demographics but had relatively similar portions of men with previous arrests, mental problems, and alcoholic tendencies.
This study examined prosecution and post-prosecution elements of a coordinated community intervention approach to male perpetrators of adult domestic violence. In a sample of 235 cases, recidivism was assessed from official criminal justice data during a 12- to 18-month period after cases were initially handled by the Baltimore, Maryland State's Attorney's Domestic Violence Unit. Court orders for domestic violence counseling were associated with significantly lower criminal recidivism for battery or violation of a civil order of protection. Lower criminal recidivism was also associated with the cumulative effects of successful prosecution, probation monitoring, receiving a court order to counseling, attending counseling intake, and completion of counseling. Individuals with greater involvement in this intervention system had lower recidivism rates, even though offenders with more extensive abuse histories experienced more intervention. Results provide qualified support for coordinated community intervention for domestic violence perpetrators.
This study represents the first attempt to directly compare two common methods of providing spouse abuse intervention, group treatment of couples, or gender-specific groups. Forty-nine couples were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Of these, data were available at posttest on only 42 couples because of attrition of the victimized spouses. A multiple analysis of covariance at posttest demonstrated that for the majority of abusers it did not matter which treatment was used. However, for those with a history of alcohol abuse, the couples approach was clearly superior. Analysis of victims' reports at a 6-month follow-up suggests that neither treatment approach was more effective in sustaining initial treatment gains over time. Finally, the issue of victim safety was addressed. Qualitative assessment of weekly reporting sheets suggests that women who received the couples group intervention were in no more danger than those receiving treatment in the gender-specific groups.