Risk Factors and Treatment Needs of Batterer Intervention Program Participants with Substance Abuse Problems

Abstract

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.Los factores de riesgo y las necesidades de tratamiento de los participantes en los programas de intervención con maltratadores con problemas de abuso de substancias R E S U M E N El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar los principales factores de riesgo y necesidades de tratamiento de los participantes en un programa de intervención con maltratadores (BIP) con problemas de abuso de alcohol y/o drogas (ADAP), más allá de sus problemas de abuso de substancias, teniendo en cuenta cuatro conjuntos de variables: sociodemográficas (i.e., edad, nivel educativo, ingresos, empleo y estatus de inmigrante), trastornos de personalidad y ajuste psicológico (i.e., sintomatología clínica, trastornos de personalidad, ira, impulsividad y autoestima), variables socio-relacionales (i.e., apoyo comunitario, apoyo íntimo, eventos vitales estresantes y rechazo social percibido) y variables relacionadas con la violencia (i.e., exposición a violencia familiar, gravedad percibida de la violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja, sexismo ambivalente, riesgo de violencia futura, violencia de pareja física y psicológica, motivación al cambio y estadio de cambio). El estudio se basó en una muestra de 1,039 hombres condenados por violencia de género y remitidos a un programa de intervención para maltratadores como medida penal alternativa. Los resultados de las comparaciones entre los participantes ...

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