Recidivism risk reduction assessment in batterer intervention programs: A key indicator for program efficacy evaluation

Abstract

Intimate partner violence against women Intimate partner violence offenders Risk of recidivism Palabras clave: Evaluación de programas Violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja Maltratadores Riesgo de reincidencia A B S T R A C TThe evidence available on the efficacy of batterer intervention programs is still limited. The aim of the present study is twofold: (1) to analyze change in a set of intervention targets and their association with reconviction in a batterer intervention program implemented in Spain, and (2) to analyze pre-treatment participants' characteristics linked with an increased likelihood of change. The research design was a prospective longitudinal study with measures obtained in two points in time (pre-treatment and posttreatment). Self-report measures, trained program staff assessment, and reconviction official records were used. Participants consisted of 212 offenders participating in a court-mandated batterer intervention program. A significant gain in three intervention targets (responsibility assumption, perceived severity of intimate partner violence against women, and recidivism risk reduction) was found. Recidivism risk reduction gain score was the best success indicator. It significantly predicted reconviction with the highest effect size. A structural equation model showed that recidivism risk reduction was significantly predicted by pre-treatment offenders' anger control, impulsivity, social support, alcohol consumption, and offense seriousness. Participants changed in the intervention targets analyzed and risk of recidivism reduction played a central role in the prediction of reconviction.Evaluación de la disminución del riesgo de recaida en los programas de intervención con maltratadores: Indicador clave en la evaluación de la eficacia del programa R E S U M E N La evidencia sobre la eficacia de los programas de intervención para maltratadores es limitada. Los objetivos de este estudio son: (1) analizar el cambio en un conjunto de objetivos de intervención y su asociación con la reincidencia en un programa de intervención con maltratadores y (2) analizar características pretratamiento vinculadas con una mayor probabilidad de cambio. El diseño fue longitudinal con medidas pre-y post-tratamiento. Se utilizaron auto-informes, evaluaciones profesionales y datos oficiales de reincidencia. Los participantes fueron 212 agresores que acudían por mandato judicial a un programa de intervención. Se encontraron ganancias significativas en tres objetivos de la intervención (asunción de responsabilidad, gravedad percibida y reducción del riesgo de reincidencia). La puntuación en reducción del riesgo de reincidencia fue el mejor indicador de éxito. Este indicador predijo significativamente la reincidencia obteniendo el mayor tamaño del efecto. Un modelo estructural mostró que las puntuaciones de los agresores en control de la ira, impulsividad, apoyo social, consumo de alcohol y gravedad del delito predecían significativamente la reducción del riesgo de reincidencia. Los participantes ...

Differences in treatment adherence, program completion, and recidivism among batterer subtypes

“…The participants received custodial sentences of up to two years that were suspended on various conditions, one of which was the mandatory attendance to a BIP. The intervention was developed within the Contexto Program, a psychoeducational and community-based treatment program (mandatory for male abusers) at the Department of Social Psychology, University of Valencia, Spain (see Lila, Oliver, Catalá-Miñana, & Conchell, 2014). The main objective of the program is to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors for IPV, taking into account four levels of analysis: individual, interpersonal, situational, and macrosocial (Catalá-Miñana, Lila, & Oliver, 2013;Gracia, López-Quilez, Marco, Lladosa, & Lila, 2015;Lila, Gracia, & Herrero, 2012;Lila, Gracia, & Murgui, 2013;Rodríguez, Gracia, & Lila, 2016;Romero-Martínez, Lila, & Moya-Albiol, 2016;Vargas, Lila, & Catalá-Miñana, 2015).…”

Preliminary evaluation of an analog procedure to assess acceptability of intimate partner violence against women: the Partner Violence Acceptability Movie Task

“…Adequate measures to assess attitudes toward IPVAW are thus important research and intervention tools as they are key to better understanding its prevalence among clinical and non-clinical samples, to explore its correlates, and to evaluate outcomes or monitor changes after clinical interventions or public health efforts ( Flood and Pease, 2009 ; Eckhardt et al, 2012 ; Lila et al, 2014a ). Adequate assessment of attitudes toward IPVAW is, however, a challenging issue.…”

Inventario de Sexismo Ambivalente: Invarianza factorial entre géneros y relación con la violencia de pareja

“…También el sexismo ambivalente se ha encontrado asociado a la violencia de pareja en estudios con agresores de pareja y con muestras comunitarias (Allen, Swan, & Raghavan, 2009;León-Ramírez & Ferrando, 2014;Lila, Oliver, Catalá-Miñana, & Conchell, 2014;Pérez Ramírez & Martínez García, 2010;Yamawaki, Ostenson, & Brown, 2009) y en estudios metanalíticos (Capaldi, Knoble, Shortt, & Kim, 2012;Stith, Smith, Penn, Ward, & Tritt, 2004). No obstante, la evidencia hasta la fecha no es concluyente principalmente en cuanto a la magnitud de su efecto (Allen et al, 2009), pues hay estudios en que se han encontrado solo débiles asociaciones entre las variables (Ibabe, Arnoso, & Elgorriaga, 2016;Stith et al, 2004).…”