Reducing intimate partner violence: a pilot evaluation of an intervention program

The current study describes a 20-week community-based intimate partner violence (IPV) intervention program delivered in British Columbia, Canada, and provides a preliminary evaluation of program impacts. TheMen in Healthy Relationshipsprogram targets men who have perpetrated IPV and who voluntarily choose to participate in a program to learn healthy intimate partner relationship strategies. The intervention was evaluated across three program cycles in a pretest-posttest single group design, with a total of 46 participants enrolled. Twenty-eight men completed the pretest survey; analyses focus on the subset of 17 participants who reported having a current intimate partner and who completed the Abusive Behavior Inventory, and the 14-21 participants who completed pretest and posttest questions regarding knowledge and skills learned in the program. Results from the pilot evaluation suggest that theMen in Healthy Relationshipsprogram is a promising approach to decreasing abusive behavior, with participants showing significant decreases in both physical and psychological abuse. In addition, participants increased their knowledge and use of calming techniques and "time-outs" to reduce feelings of anger. Limitations and future research are discussed, along with implications for IPV intervention programing for voluntary participants.