“I Feel Your Pain”: Do Batter Intervention Programs Impact Perpetrators’ Empathy for Victims?

Abstract

This article explores the interpersonal dynamic of empathy with intimate partner violence. Given that lack of empathy seems to be related to intimate partner violence and an increase in the capacity for empathy could be a deterrent to future commission of violence, this study examined if there was any change in empathy over a 26-week partner abuse intervention program. In addition, this study examined if increases in empathy correlated with a decrease in aggression.

Understanding Empathy, Self-Esteem, and Adult Attachment in Sexual Offenders and Partner-Violent Men

“…In the case of intimate partner violence (IPV), several studies have reported the absence of differences between aggressors and controls (Buck, Leenaars, Emmelkamp, & van Marle, 2012; Loinaz et al, 2012), and have proposed the same explanation as in sexual offenders: Empathy is a multidimensional construct and attempts to assess it globally may miss the influence of important facets (Covell, Huss, & Langhinrichsen-Rohling, 2007). Others conclude that improvements in empathy are related to reduction in violence (Zosky, 2016), or that poor empathy skills mediate recidivism in some type of offenders (Romero-Martínez, Lila, & Moya-Albiol, 2016). A recent meta-analysis (Vachon, Lynam, & Johnson, 2014) of the absence of a relationship between empathy and violence presents two alternative explanations: (a) the true association between the two variables is weak (we cannot assume that having cognitive empathy, that is, knowing the emotions of others, implies prosocial behavior, or that those with less emotional resonance, or emotional affection, will act in a violent way) and (b) the association between variables is affected by measurement problems (poor reliability, small groups, and the use of self-reports).…”

Domestic Violence Intimate Partner Violence Male-Identified Latino Diaspora Participants Program Experiences

“…Of these, 29 men (8.3%) were administered the survey in Spanish. Similarly, in the study by Cho, Velez-Ortiz, and Parra-Cardona In research by Zosky (2016), 515 men were mandated to attend a 26week batterer intervention program as a condition of their sentencing, yet only 246 men completed the program over a 2-year period. The majority of men were white with less than one-fifth identifying as African American and a small percentage of men identifying as Latino.…”

“…believe that it is imperative to have culturally specific programs that work towards ending the pandemic of DVIPV. According toParra-Cardona et al (2013), the Duluth Model has internationally recognized interventions for men who batter and abuse and has gradually adapted their original curricula to respond to the cultural and life experiences of ethnic minority populations.According toZosky (2016), the Duluth Model is founded on the feminist theoretical tenet that a patriarchal society instills beliefs of privilege for men, and power and control are the mechanisms used by men to maintain that privilege. The Duluth curriculum consists of 26 detailed weekly, two-hour sessions aimed at promoting a process of change among men who batter(Parra-Cardona et al, 2013).…”

Still Looking for Mechanisms: A Realist Review of Batterer Intervention Programs

“…The development of empathy for partner. Developing or increasing empathy for one's partner has been hypothesized to be an essential component for increasing responsibility and decreasing defensiveness (Zosky, 2016). While there are various definitions of empathy, we looked for evidence that participants develop or express an understanding of the emotional state of their partner or family members.…”