Seeking Interviews with Emotionally Abusive Individuals for Thesis
Hello. After a lengthy delay due to COVID-19 I am finally returning to complete my thesis.
My area of interest is the path of emotionally abusive individuals and their experience of the journey to changed behaviour. I’m new to research and it’s only a Masters degree, so I’m hoping to find a small sample of individuals to interview, taking a case study approach. Something like, ‘How emotionally abusive individuals experience behaviour change.’
I post this in hopes of insight and help for two questions, before I commit to pursuing this line of inquiry:
– what thoughts do you have about the possibility of reaching these individuals (I have connection to two so far)
– if you’re connected to this population, could we connect to discuss sending an invitation out for participants?
Thank you in advance for your help. Andrea
Mar 22, 2021 @ 13:01:42
Hi, Andrea:
My name is Suzanne and I lead domestic violence offender intervention groups in Louisiana (court-ordered) and would be open to discussing what you need. Please contact me at either 225/253-9635 or dvchange@outlook.com.
Apr 29, 2021 @ 16:33:02
Andrea: I just finished a research project that addressed this topic. If you contact me, I will be happy to share our results with you, and suggest a few key journal articles to read. Over the past decade, numerous qualitative (ethnographic) studies have been conducted with men in domestic violence perpetrator groups, along with their facilitators, to find out what these clients think about their programs, e.g., what motivates and engages them, etc. As far as helping to provide you with a sample of subjects, I would be open to discussing that with you. Call me on my cell at (415) 516-8086, or e-mail me at johnmhamel@comcast.net
The titles and abstracts to a few of the research papers on this topic are below. I have them in electronic form and can send them to you, or any other ADVIP member who might be interested.
Hamel, J., Buttell, F., Fereira, R., & Roy, V. (under review). IPV Perpetrator groups: Client engagement, and the role of facilitators. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Purpose – Outcomes studies on the effectiveness of batterer intervention programs (BIPs) in reducing rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) have begun to identify the pan-theoretical factors that predict treatment success. Research on general psychotherapy outcomes, the
effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI), and qualitative interviews with male BIP clients indicate that so-called “process” factors predict client engagement, and in turn better outcomes than a program’s theory or curriculum. In this exploratory study, we sought to determine if
group engagement, as measured by facilitators and clients, would predict positive treatment outcomes as reported by clients.
Methods – We administered questionnaires to BIP agency directors, group facilitators, and group clients in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Directors were asked to complete a questionnaire on their program orientation and information and demographic data on the group
facilitators. Facilitators were asked to administer the Group Engagement Measure (GEM) for each of their clients, and their client were administered two questionnaires created for this study: Client Rating of Facilitator (CRF) and Client Perceived Benefits of Group (CPBG).
Results – Non-significant positive correlations were found between GEM and CRF scores, and between GEM and CPBG scores, and for facilitator years of experience and CPBG scores. A moderate significant correlation was found between CRF and CPBG scores.
Conclusions – Results support previous research on the significance of MI and other approaches that seek to increase client motivation and engagement, and provide client report measures that, once validated, may be useful for clinical, research, and training purposes
McGinn, T., McColgan, M., & Taylor, B. (2017). Male IPV Perpetrator’s Perspectives on Intervention and Change: A Systematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1524838017742167.
Objective: To add to our understanding of change processes by analyzing perpetrators’ perspectives on intervention.
Method: Fourteen databases were searched and 27 articles reporting relevant qualitative findings were identified. Analytic coding was applied across the findings and discussion sections of all 27 study reports to form an interpretive account of the data set. Studies were also grouped according to their perceived theoretical standpoints, and a summary of themes in each grouping is presented.
Findings: Study participants were largely positive about their experiences in intervention; new learning such as conflict interruption techniques and new communication skills were commonly cited benefits. Perpetrators attend perpetrator intervention programs with a range of motivations, ranging from a determination to change who they are, to a determination to avoid a custodial sentence. The most common barriers to change, found in this analysis, were cognitive distortions, emotional dysregulation, gendered social constructions, and self-esteem issues.
Conclusion: Further qualitative investigation, of rigor, with the intention-to-treat population of intimate partner violence perpetrators involved in perpetrator programs is needed. At this point, we would venture that qualitative research, with perpetrators, underlines the precept that formidable barriers to change exist in this population. The centrality of group work to perpetrator interventions should be reconsidered in light of the complexity of the change task and in light of the heterogeneity of this population.
Morrison, P. K., Burke, J., Cluss, P. A., Hawker, L., Miller, E., George, D., Chang, J. C. (2018). The influence of batterer intervention programs on male perpetrators of intimate partner violence: Reports of change in beliefs and behaviors. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 57(5), 311-329. doi:10.1080/10509674.2018.1487900
Studies of batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have primarily focused on assessing program efficacy through reassault or recidivism rates with mixed results. Few studies have sought to describe the BIP process, or what components of BIPs might motivate and facilitate change among perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) from the perspective of the men who attend such programs. As part of a two-year ethnographic study, we collected 76 semi-structured, open-ended interviews with male clients enrolled in one of two community-based BIPs. The current analysis uses those interviews to understand clients’ perspectives on the lessons, changes or skills they gained during their tenure in a BIP. Clients reported gaining 1) a more holistic understanding of IPV, 2) a greater sense of accountability for their behaviors, 3) the ability to identify and deescalate anger, and 4) new skills to improve communication. These findings suggest that change is possible among BIP clients, and that perhaps we need to consider intermediary or alternative measure of program success for BIPs. In particular, measures are needed that can capture some of the more nuanced cognitive and behavioral changes that occur during the BIP process in “real time.”
Roy, V., Chateauvert, J., Drouin, M.E., & Richard, M.C. (2014). Building men’s engagement in intimate partner violence groups. Partner Abuse, 5 (4), 420-438.
Group programs, which are generally preferred in treatment with violent partners, often have a high dropout rate. Engagement, however, can be an influential factor in program completion (Rondeau, Brochu, Lemire, & Brodeur, 1999) and in maintaining those aspects learned by the end of the program (Contrino, Dermen, Nochajski, Wieczorek, & Navratil, 2007). This article looks at the meaning given by men to the concept of engaging in an intimate partner violence (IPV) group. In our effort to understand engagement, this study tries to identify characteristics, which are more representative of the complexity of engaging in IPV groups. Interviews and two focus groups were conducted with men who participated in group programs in two agencies in Canada. Our qualitative analysis emphasized that engagement is not a spontaneous attitude but rather something that is constructed over time by striving to work on oneself. Limitations are discussed and implications for practice and research are explored.