Treatment for Men Who Are Abusive to Their Partners

This study will develop an individual behavior therapy for men who are violent toward their partners and will compare the therapy to standard group treatment.

To date, treatment interventions for domestic abuse perpetrators have been conducted almost exclusively in groups. However, the efficacy of such treatments relative to no treatment has not been thoroughly evaluated. Evidence suggests that individual treatments may be more effective than group treatments. This study will combine motivational enhancement therapy with cognitive and behavior change techniques to treat men who abuse their partners.

This study will be conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, an individual cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) manual will be constructed. During Phase 2, participants will be randomly assigned to receive either 16 sessions of ICBT or 16 sessions of standard group therapy. Data on abusive behavior outcomes and secondary treatment targets will be collected from participants and their partners every 3 months for 1 year after the study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Involved in male-to-female physical aggression in the past 12 months or has a history of severe male-to-female aggression in a relationship
• Current involvement in a primary intimate relationship (cohabiting, dating, or married) for at least 6 months, with partner contact at least once per week
• Willingness to provide written consent for partner contact
• Partner provides verbal assent for the use of information during an initial phone interview and agrees to be re-contacted for scheduled follow-up interviews

Exclusion Criteria:

• Psychotic symptoms or severe mood disorder
• Mental retardation, autism, dementia, delirium, catatonia, or other severe cognitive disorders
• Severe head trauma in the past two years
• Seizure disorder
• Current diagnosis of alcohol dependence or drug dependence. Participants must be in remission for at least 6 months if a past diagnosis is present.