Violence desistance among battering men: Existing interventions and the application of the transtheoretical model of *change

This research examines the efficacy of existing interventions for battering men and assesses the applicability of the Transtheoretical Model of Change to the problem of violence desistance. In Chapter 1, separate meta-analyses of batterer treatment outcome studies relying on partner reports ofrecidivism ili=7) and official records ili=l 1) are conducted to assess treatment efficacy. A third analysis examines the overall rate of recidivism across studies that follow treatment completers ili:=38). Results show that the effect of treatment is small at best and moderated largely by program, study, and publication variables. The overall rate of post-treatment recidivism is 21.6%. Chapter 2 traces the evolution of the battered women's movement and two interventions for assaultive men: arrest and treatment. It argues that these potentially powerful interventions are of limited efficacy for three reasons: 1) they are based on a sociopolitical understanding of violence and change rather than empirically validated theories of individual behavior change; 2) they tend to be standardized and "one size fits all," neglecting individual differences in readiness to change; 3) they tend to be confrontational and coercive. The Transtheoretical Model is presented as a new way of conceptualizing change in violent men and increasing treatment efficacy. In Chapters 3 and 4, measures of the core constructs of the Transtheoretical Model-stage of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy-are developed, and tests of the applicability of the model to violence desistance are conducted. Batterers in treatment at two Rhode Island agencies (N=258) completed a questionnaire that included the new measures and measures of partner blame, violence in the last year, violence cessation strategies, demographics, treatment history, and social desirability. A 4-dimensional continuous measure and several algorithms were developed to assess change readiness. Cluster analysis yielded six change profiles using the continuous measure. Results provide strong evidence of the applicability of the model and external validity of the staging measure s. For example, participants with early stage profiles minimized the pros and valued the cons of changing, and blamed their partners significantly more than later-stage participants. The need for longitudinal research and the benefit of stage-matched intervention s for battering men are discussed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Three people have had a profound impact on my work and on my development as a researcher. Jim Prochaska provided the WHAT, an innovative vision of behavior change. Wayne Velicer provided the HOW, excellent training in methodolo gy and statistics. And Richard Gelles, my major professor, provided the WHY, knowledge about the problem of family violence and the urgent need for solutions. I am especially indebted to Richard Gelles for encouraging me to think BIG. He has been a tremendous advocate for me. I'd like to give special thanks to members of my dissertation committeeLeonard Gerber, Wayne Velicer, Joseph Rossi, Alexa Albert, and Lawrence Grebsteinfor their thought-provoking feedback on earlier drafts of the dissertation. It is important to recognize the role of two Rhode Island agencies in the instrument development work. Kevin Murphy and his staff at DAP AC and Christine Harkins' staff at Kent House helped with focus groups, item writing, and data collection. They shared their experiences, expertise , and enthusiasm, demon strating that pract itioners and researchers can work together in this very politicized field. The multi-disciplinary Family Violence Research Team here at URI has been a great cheering section, while keeping me on my toes with its diverse theoretical perspective s. I would like to thank my friends who have been there to support, prod, and humor me at various stages in this process: Michael Stevens, Paula Janicki, Richard Bennett, Janet Dryfoos , and Karl Hanson . Finally, I am most indebted to my family who believed in me throu ghout.