An examination of the characteristics and experiences of domestic violence offenders which may impact treatment progress.

摘要

The objective of this study was to obtain exploratory, and descriptive data regarding domestic violence offenders' individual experiences in a treatment group. Participants were 8 male domestic violence offenders attending a court ordered 52 week treatment program led by an experienced male facilitator. The participants ranged in age from 20 to 57. Participants were required to have attended a minimum of eight group sessions before being interviewed. Qualitative information was obtained through structured qualitative interviews with the participants. Additional descriptive information was obtained through interviews with the group facilitator and a demographic questionnaire completed by the participants. The Constant Comparative Method (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994) was utilized to analyze the data which was generated by the qualitative interviews with the participants. The themes which emerged from the use of the Constant Comparative Method were compared with information obtained from both the demographic questionnaire and the facilitator questions. The results of the study highlight the importance of group process and the therapeutic alliance with the facilitator. Twelve prominent themes emerged from the analysis of the data. Many of those themes confirmed major points within the body of literature pertaining to the etiology of domestic violence, risk factors, and issues regarding treatment of domestic violence offenders. An unexpected finding was that the majority of men in the treatment group aspired to become group leaders. In addition, some of the themes which were identified function as components of a model proposed by this researcher regarding progression through the treatment process. The themes and additional qualitative data suggest the existence of a typical progression in which domestic violence offenders begin treatment with a negative or hostile attitude and gradually begin to accept responsibility for their actions and make positive changes. The proposed model identifies four stages on a continuum of treatment progress which were labeled: initial negativity, acceptance, contribution, and empowerment. The above outlined stages of treatment roughly parallel the transtheoretical model developed by Prochaska & DiClemente (1983). A discussion of implications for policy and treatment programs highlights the importance of emphasizing the group process when developing programs and evaluating offenders.