Interventions for Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Review of Efficacy Research and Recent Trends

The efficacy of psychosocial interventions for perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been increasingly challenged in recent years, largely in response to reviews of research showing limited program effects. This article addresses the state of the art in research on IPV perpetrator interventions. After considering previous quantitative reviews of research in this area, new trends and innovations are addressed, including culturally focused interventions, case management and comprehensive services, supportive efforts to enhance program attendance, and interventions focused on motivation to change. Recent research has failed to provide clear evidence that race-specific groups or culturally focused content enhances the efficacy of standard IPV interventions. Similarly, research exploring case management for IPV perpetrators revealed important problems in implementation of the intervention and no clear evidence of improved outcomes. However, some evidence indicates that the integration of substance use interventions may enhance violence reduction. Supportive interventions designed to enhance program attendance and motivation to change have yielded consistently encouraging results, including significant effects on program attendance, compliance with IPV intervention tasks, and increased personal change and help-seeking efforts. These interventions have shown favorable initial effects in reducing abusive behavior relative to treatment-as-usual controls, and they are highlighted as a potentially fruitful avenue for continued research.