Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a priority public health issue. Traditional responses to IPV have centered on screening, treatment, and rehabilitation. While important, there has not been equal focus on prevention of IPV, especially among ? men. The overall objective of the proposed project is to bridge this gap by testing the efficacy of a culturally-tailored and theory-driven primary IPV prevention intervention with Spanish-speaking Latino men. In this randomized controlled trial, Spanish-speaking Latino men will be recruited from community church settings and randomly assigned to: (a) an IPV prevention intervention, or (b) a wait-list control condition. Latino men assigned to the intervention will receive, in a small group setting, an 8 session, primary IPV prevention intervention based on the Duluth model and tailored for Spanish-speaking Latino men. Measures will be obtained from all men (intervention and wait-list) at pre-test, and 3 and 6 months post-intervention follow-up.
The aims of the study are to:
Aim 1. Examine whether the IPV prevention is associated with increased intentions to abstain from IPV and decreased self-reported use of violence against intimate partners at 3 and 6 months as compared with the control group.
Aim 2. Examine whether the effects of the intervention are moderated by individual (age, violence exposure in the family of origin, experience of childhood abuse, alcohol abuse, length of time in the U.S.), microsystems (relationship power) and macrosystem variables (Latino cultural gender roles and expectations).
Aim 3. Identify theory-based variables (attitudes, behavioral beliefs, control beliefs, subjective norms, perceived self-efficacy, and intentions) that mediate effects of the IPV prevention intervention on self-reported behavior of IPV against intimate partners. The importance of the theory-driven study is its contribution to increasing the knowledge base of partner violence through empirical testing of the efficacy of a culturally-tailored primary IPV prevention intervention among an at-risk and under-served population, Latino men. ? ? ?
