Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrator Treatment: Tailoring Interventions to Individual Needs

Predictors of Discontinuation From Individual Treatment in Men Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

“…For instance, the identification of three key moments within a therapeutic process during which the risk of attrition is higher, as well as their related risk factors, can be of great help for therapists as it offers them precise time frames and variables to consider when attempting to establish a strong working alliance with men consulting for IPV-related difficulties. In line with recent treatment recommendations for IPV perpetrators (Butters et al, 2020), the current study highlights the importance of individualized assessment and intervention planning that includes the consideration of demographic factors and co-occurring concerns affecting treatment completion. Therapists might thus profit from implementing the completion of short self-report questionnaires after the initial referral and before the first intake session, which would allow them to assess risk factors for therapy attrition before men would even start treatment.…”

“…In conjunction with previous research that has highlighted the association between limited resources (e.g., financial stress, housing issues) and higher levels of perpetrated IPV in men (e.g., Schwab-Reese et al, 2016), such results emphasize the need for IPV services offered to men to account for these psychological characteristics. As suggested by Butters et al (2020), interventions that, in addition to addressing the use of violent behaviors, also coordinate community responses to support men's resources and accessibility to education, employment, and housing opportunities might help reduce both IPV and treatment attrition. Finally, considering the role of court-order referral on attrition, we might consider the implementation of motivation-based treatment approaches in interventions aimed at perpetrators of IPV.…”

“…Also, to date, very few researchers have differentiated participants who dropped out of treatment according to their level of completion of therapy, such as before beginning therapy, during or after the intake assessment sessions, or even just before the end of the treatment. Considering the number of therapy sessions completed is associated with IPV perpetration posttreatment (Taft et al, 2001) and since determining the precise moment at which men are at higher risk of dropping out of therapy might help prevent attrition (Butters et al, 2020), an understanding of treatment dropout in men seeking individual treatment for IPVrelated difficulties while accounting for the specific timing of attrition is needed.…”

“…Individual treatment is a useful approach to the treatment of IPV, as it offers the flexibility and the time needed to address men's specific difficulties, including the psychological issues that give rise to the use of violent behaviors, such as psychological distress, mental health disorders, attachment issues, trauma, substance abuse, or low self-esteem and shame (Ferraro, 2017;Murphy & Meis, 2008). Researchers have indeed suggested that individualized approaches to the treatment of IPV perpetrators could allow the therapist to adapt therapeutic efforts and target individual factors, such as readiness-to-change, comorbid mental health issues (e.g., substance abuse) and lack of attendance to sessions, that are known to hinder treatment progress in terms of reducing the occurrence of IPV (Arias et al, 2013;Butters et al, 2020;Murphy et al, 2020). Yet, to date, few studies have documented the factors that might reduce men's attendance to individual-based treatment for IPV.…”

The Conditions Around Engagement in Interventions Among Perpetrators of Domestic Violence: Literature Review

“…Readiness to change which varies among participants should be considered (Daniels and Murphy, 1997). Similarly, motivation-based approaches are often stated as readiness to change (Butters et al, 2020). Taft et al (2004) found that the dynamics around motivations to take new action among perpetrators of domestic violence are critical factors for their commitment in interventions.…”