The goal of this Exploratory/Development Grant for Mental Health Intervention Research (PA-99-134) is to develop, standardize, and pilot test an individual cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) for partner violent men. To date, treatment interventions for partner violence perpetrators have been conducted almost exclusively in groups. Yet the efficacy of such treatments relative to no-treatment controls has not been consistently demonstrated. There are several reasons to believe that individual treatment may be more efficacious. The proposed ICBT approach will combine elements of motivational enhancement therapy with cognitive change and behavior change techniques designed to ameliorate core deficits identified in case-control studies of partner violent men. The motivational enhancement components of ICBT, adapted from the substance abuse field, will be emphasized in the early phase of treatment to facilitate client movement into the active stage of intentional behavior change. Treatment will then use CBT techniques, implemented within an individual case formulation, to improve coping skills for anger-arousing relationship situations and relationship communication and problem solving skills. The proposed project will take this basic outline of ICBT and develop it into a well-characterized and standardized approach, providing preliminary data to support future clinical trials. During phase 1, the treatment of pilot cases will be used along with extensive input from project consultants and project therapists to draft and refine an ICBT manual and treatment adherence measures. In phase 2, 60 partner violent men will be randomly assigned to receive either 16 sessions of ICBT or 16 sessions of treatment-as-usual (TAU) in a standard group protocol. Data on abusive behavior outcomes and secondary treatment targets will be gathered from clients and collateral relationship partners at quarterly intervals for one year after enrollment into the study. Analyses will address the main effects of ICBT versus TAU, and will explore potential mediators (e.g., homework compliance, therapeutic alliance) and moderators (e.g., psychopathology) of change.
| Meis, Laura A; Murphy, Christopher M; Winters, Jamie J (2010) Outcome expectancies of partner abuse: assessing perpetrators' expectancies and their associations with readiness to change, abuse, and relevant problems. Assessment 17:30-43 |
