We examined gender-related attitudes as correlates of physical and psychological aggression perpetration and victimization among 325 undergraduate students in dating relationships. It was hypothesized that adversarial sexual beliefs and acceptance of interpersonal violence would be positively correlated with physical and psychological aggression perpetration and victimization in both men and women. Results indicated that adversarial sexual beliefs were consistently associated with relationship aggression, whereas the acceptance of interpersonal violence was not. Specifically, adversarial sexual beliefs were significantly correlated with perpetration of dating aggression in both genders and with experiencing aggression in men. Findings suggest that adversarial sexual beliefs place those in dating relationships at relatively higher risk for problems with aggression.

This study examined associations between family of origin violence, self-reports of psychopathology on the MCMI-II, and current spouse abuse among partner assaultive men. Compared to nonviolent men in discordant (n = 24) and well-adjusted (n = 24) relationships, partner assaultive men (n = 24) were significantly more likely to report childhood histories of physical abuse and physical abuse of the mother in the family of origin. The partner assaultive men also reported significantly higher scores on a variety of MCMI-II personality disorder and Axis I disorder scales. When negative affectivity was controlled, however, batterers differed from contrast groups only on scales assessing antisocial and aggressive characteristics. Within the partner assaultive group, a history of severe childhood abuse was associated with higher scores on a variety of MCMI-II personality disorder and Axis I disorder scales, and higher levels of psychological and physical aggression directed toward the current relationship partner. Abuse of the mother in the family of origin among batterers was associated with higher levels of psychological and physical aggression toward the current partner, but not with self-reported psychopathology. The results support prior descriptions of a batterer subgroup with significant trauma histories, more psychological difficulties, and higher abuse levels than other batterers, suggesting continuities in social and emotional development from childhood maltreatment to adult relationship violence.

In this review, we provide a descriptive and detailed review of intervention programs for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators and survivor-victims. Given the extensive personal, interpersonal, and societal costs associated with IPV, it is essential that services being offered by the criminal justice, mental health, and medical communities have requisite empirical support to justify their implementation. The review involved a detailed summary of all studies published since 1990 using randomized or quasi-experimental designs that compared an active intervention program to a relevant comparison condition. These studies included 20 studies investigating the effectiveness of “traditional” forms of batterer intervention programs (BIPs) aimed at perpetrators of IPV, 10 studies that investigated the effectiveness of alternative formats of BIPs, 16 studies of brief intervention programs for IPV victim-survivors, and 15 studies of more extended intervention programs for IPV victim-survivors. Interventions for perpetrators showed equivocal results regarding their ability to lower the risk of IPV, and available studies had many methodological flaws. More recent investigations of novel programs with alternative content have shown promising results. Among interventions for victim-survivors of IPV, a range of therapeutic approaches have been shown to produce enhancements in emotional functioning, with the strongest support for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches in reducing negative symptomatic effects of IPV. Supportive advocacy in community settings has been shown to reduce the frequency of revictimization relative to no-treatment controls, although rates of revictimization remain alarmingly high in these studies. Brief interventions for victim-survivors have had more complex and less consistently positive effects. Several studies have found significant increases in safety behaviors, but enhanced use of community resources is often not found. It remains unclear whether brief safety interventions produce longer term reduction in IPV revictimization. Discussion summarizes the general state of knowledge on interventions for IPV perpetrators and victim-survivors and important areas for future research.

This article outlines a rationale for investigating the individual (one-on-one) treatment format and individualized (case-tailored) services for partner abuse perpetrators. Many state standards caution against or prohibit individual services in abuser intervention. However, initial research indicates that motivational interviewing, conducted individually, can increase abusive clients’ engagement in the change process. Challenges of using the group format in treatment development are discussed along with potential benefits of individual treatment for this population. Notably, individual treatment can be adapted to the client’s stage of change, can address a range of presenting concerns (such as substance abuse and mood disorders) that may influence outcome, and can be used to focus clinical attention on case-specific change targets while avoiding potentially negative and antisocial peer influences in the group format. Nevertheless, individual treatment has been almost entirely ignored to date in clinical research with this population.

This study investigated the effects of a pregroup motivational intervention for domestic abuse perpetrators. Men presenting for treatment at a community domestic violence agency (N = 108) were assigned to receive either a two-session intake using the techniques of motivational interviewing (MI) or a structured intake (SI) control. All participants were then referred to a cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) program in groups homogeneous with respect to intake condition. The motivational intake led to more constructive insession behavior during the early phase of group CBT, greater compliance with group CBT homework assignments, higher late session therapist ratings of the working alliance, and more help seeking outside of the domestic violence program. No significant effects of intake condition were found on session attendance, self-reports of readiness to change abusive behavior, or client reports of the working alliance. Partner reports of abusive behavior outcomes during the 6 months after group CBT revealed a marginal effect favoring the MI condition on physical assault. The findings suggest that motivational interviewing can increase receptivity to partner violence interventions.

This study investigated relations between lifetime exposure to interparental aggression and (1) anxiety, depression, and anger; (2) interpersonal problems; and (3) symptoms of trauma, in a sample of young adults. Participants were 326 (219 female, 107 male) undergraduates from an eastern university. Participants reported on their demographic backgrounds, memories of interparental verbal and physical aggression, past experiences of severe stressors (including child physical and sexual abuse and community violence), and recent symptoms. Results demonstrate that exposure to interparental violence is associated with elevations in depression, anxiety, interpersonal problems, and trauma symptoms. Further analyses indicated that interparental verbal aggression predicted all symptom areas and was a stronger predictor than interparental violence. The impact of both forms of aggression was attenuated and in some cases negated by controlling for the effects of other severe stressors.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the basic psychometrics of the Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse (MMEA; Murphy & Hoover, 1999) in a Turkish sample. Two hundred and fifty-four college students participated and completed the Turkish version of the MMEA (MMEA-TR) along with the Physical Assault of Conflict Tactics Scale—Revised, Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, Relationship Assessment Scale, and Social Desirability Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor structure of the MMEA-TR for both victimization and perpetration reports. This factor structure was cross-validated with an independent older sample of 328 dating college students for perpetration reports. Satisfactory criterion validity and internal consistency reliability results were obtained as well. Based on the preliminary investigation, the MMEA-TR appears to be a psychometrically sound measure of psychological dating aggression perpetration and victimization among college students in Turkey. The results, limitations, and recommendations for future studies were discussed.

This article presents a systematic review of intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention studies. Using electronic databases and standard search methods, 19 studies met inclusion criteria for the review. These studies targeted partner violence victimization and/or perpetration, included a comparison or control group, and measured IPV behavior or outcomes involving knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, or other constructs related to IPV. Fifteen of the studies used randomized designs, and 9 studies were identified that used rigorous methods (randomized designs, measurement of IPV behavior, sufficient follow-up, independent assessors). Four of the 9 studies were school-based studies conducted in middle or high schools. Only 1 of those found an unqualified positive impact on IPV behavior; another found an IPV preventive effect for boys only. Five of the 9 studies were conducted in community settings, including 2 that worked with couples, 2 that provided group-based interventions set in the community, and 1 that worked with parents to promote dating violence prevention with their teenage children. All 5 of the community-based studies reported positive impact on IPV behavior. Although there are some encouraging findings in the literature, gaps remain. No programs have been replicated, and although there would appear to be a great deal of overlap in program content, there is no analysis examining key components of program effectiveness.

The efficacy of psychosocial interventions for perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been increasingly challenged in recent years, largely in response to reviews of research showing limited program effects. This article addresses the state of the art in research on IPV perpetrator interventions. After considering previous quantitative reviews of research in this area, new trends and innovations are addressed, including culturally focused interventions, case management and comprehensive services, supportive efforts to enhance program attendance, and interventions focused on motivation to change. Recent research has failed to provide clear evidence that race-specific groups or culturally focused content enhances the efficacy of standard IPV interventions. Similarly, research exploring case management for IPV perpetrators revealed important problems in implementation of the intervention and no clear evidence of improved outcomes. However, some evidence indicates that the integration of substance use interventions may enhance violence reduction. Supportive interventions designed to enhance program attendance and motivation to change have yielded consistently encouraging results, including significant effects on program attendance, compliance with IPV intervention tasks, and increased personal change and help-seeking efforts. These interventions have shown favorable initial effects in reducing abusive behavior relative to treatment-as-usual controls, and they are highlighted as a potentially fruitful avenue for continued research.