Predictors of refusal, dropout and therapeutic failure among men attending a community batterer treatment program

The aim of this ex post facto study was to investigate the predictors of refusal, dropout and therapeutic failure among men attending a community batterer treatment program. The sample consisted of 451 abusive men who voluntarily sought therapeutic help in the last ten years (1997-2007). The intervention program was a structured, intensive, 20-week, individual treatment based on cognitive-behavioral therapy. According to a logistic regression model, the refusal of therapy (n = 255; 56.1%) was higher when batterer men were immigrants and when the victims were not also in treatment in an integral approach. Participants dropped out of the program (n = 88; 45%) more easily when they were unemployed and when the victim was not also in treatment. In turn, therapeutic failure in treatment completers (n = 13; 13.7%) was strongly associated with low empathy and with lack of adjustment to everyday life. Finally, there were no clear predictors of loss of subjects (n = 44; 46.3%) in the 12-month follow-up. Implications of the current findings for further research in the field of batterer treatment are discussed.