Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence and Substance Abuse in a Forensic Setting

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Intimate partner violence is a significant societal problem. However, treatment of IPV perpetrators is far from effective, which may be partly due to the fact that the role of substance abuse is not taken into account. There is considerable evidence that a strong relationship between the use of alcohol and other drugs and intimate partner violence exists. Besides, a few studies indicate that reducing substance use may have a positive impact on IPV. Therefore, in this study, perpetrators of intimate partner violence with substance use disorders enrolled in domestic violence treatment will be randomly assigned to either standard treatment for offenders of domestic violence or a combination of the latter treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy addressing substance abuse (combined treatment).

Official Title
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Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence and Substance Abuse in a Forensic Setting

Conditions
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Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: substance abuse/domestic violence treatment
* Behavioral: CBT addressing partner violence


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: A history of perpetration of intimate partner violence Current alcohol, cannabis and/or cocaine abuse or dependence Still in an intimate relationship with the victim Exclusion Criteria: Not sufficient fluency in Dutch to complete treatment and measures (ab)use of crack cocaine and/or heroin In need of clinical detoxification Severe mental disorders, such as psychosis Severe cognitive disorders, such as Korsakoff's syndrome In treatment for other mental health problems Abuse of children

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: combined treatment<br>A combined treatment containing cognitive behavioral therapy addressing partner violence and cognitive behavioral therapy addressing substance abuse | Behavioral: substance abuse/domestic violence treatment<br>* This intervention is comprised of 16 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy. 8 sessions are addressing partner violence and 8 sessions are addressing substance abuse.<br>|
| Active Comparator: control condition<br>Cognitive behavioral therapy addressing partner violence | Behavioral: CBT addressing partner violence<br>* This treatment is comprised of 16 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy addressing partner violence.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quick Drinking Screen (QDS) |  | pretest, posttest, 6 & 12 months follow-up | 
| Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) |  | pretest, halfway treatment, posttest, 6 & 12 months follow-up | 
| Timeline Followback interview | Assesses daily substance use in the past 4 months | pretest, posttest | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) | Assesses general psychological complaints | pretest, posttest, 6 and 12 moths follow-up | 
| Maudsly Marital Questionnaire (MMQ) | Assesses marital satisfaction | pretest, posttest, 6 and 12 months follow up | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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intimate partner violence, domestic violence, substance abuse, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, addiction