Abstract
Introduction
Domestic violence perpetrator programmes (DVPPs) are designed to encourage participants to address and change their abusive behaviour. This paper focuses on non-mandated men who joined a research study designed to test the effectiveness of community-based DVPPs and discusses the potential tensions between the help-seeking of these men and their motivations to enrol on a DVPP.
Methods
The REPROVIDE pilot study was a randomised controlled trial based in South-West England. 36 male domestic violence perpetrators were recruited via self-referrals, helplines, social services, health and domestic violence support professionals into the study and randomly allocated on a 2:1 basis to attend either a community-based DVPP run by an experienced 3rd sector organisation, or to a usual care comparison group. Current/ex partners were also recruited and questionnaire data at four time points were collected from all participants, alongside field notes, police, observational, and interview data.
Results and conclusion
Previous research has produced differing reports about male perpetrators’ motivations to attend DVPPs, for example suggesting that where there are child contact issues, men tend at least initially to be ‘instrumental’ (Kelly and Westmarland, 2015), while others suggest that children’s service referrals into DVPPs and a desire to improve parenting, may provide fathers with an ‘intrinsic motivation’ to engage (Stanley et al., 2012). Our preliminary findings from the pilot study indicate that in assessing the longer-term effectiveness of a DVPP, it may be helpful to distinguish ‘help-seeking’ from ‘motivation’ and that a nuanced exploration of perpetrators’ routes into attending a DVPP may be useful in determining whether their motivation to change behaviour accords with their expressed desire to seek-help.
Domestic violence perpetrator programmes (DVPPs) are designed to encourage participants to address and change their abusive behaviour. This paper focuses on non-mandated men who joined a research study designed to test the effectiveness of community-based DVPPs and discusses the potential tensions between the help-seeking of these men and their motivations to enrol on a DVPP.
Methods
The REPROVIDE pilot study was a randomised controlled trial based in South-West England. 36 male domestic violence perpetrators were recruited via self-referrals, helplines, social services, health and domestic violence support professionals into the study and randomly allocated on a 2:1 basis to attend either a community-based DVPP run by an experienced 3rd sector organisation, or to a usual care comparison group. Current/ex partners were also recruited and questionnaire data at four time points were collected from all participants, alongside field notes, police, observational, and interview data.
Results and conclusion
Previous research has produced differing reports about male perpetrators’ motivations to attend DVPPs, for example suggesting that where there are child contact issues, men tend at least initially to be ‘instrumental’ (Kelly and Westmarland, 2015), while others suggest that children’s service referrals into DVPPs and a desire to improve parenting, may provide fathers with an ‘intrinsic motivation’ to engage (Stanley et al., 2012). Our preliminary findings from the pilot study indicate that in assessing the longer-term effectiveness of a DVPP, it may be helpful to distinguish ‘help-seeking’ from ‘motivation’ and that a nuanced exploration of perpetrators’ routes into attending a DVPP may be useful in determining whether their motivation to change behaviour accords with their expressed desire to seek-help.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Unpublished - 2019 |
| Event | 3rd European Conference on Domestic Violence - Norway, Oslo, Norway Duration: 1 Sept 2019 → 4 Sept 2019 |
Conference
| Conference | 3rd European Conference on Domestic Violence |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Norway |
| City | Oslo |
| Period | 1/09/19 → 4/09/19 |
