This study examined prognostic indicators for violence recidivism among male domestic abuse perpetrators (N = 95). Seventeen hypothesized prognostic indicators were selected from baseline self-report and collateral partner report data to assess aggression history, psychoactive substance use, severity of relationship abuse problems, and current demographic factors. A total prognostic index, labeled the Partner Abuse Prognostic Scale (PAPS), predicted outcome variables derived from both victim report and criminal justice data and provided unique prediction relative to a pre-treatment continuous measure of relationship violence. No moderator effects in prediction were observed across two distinct types of group treatment. Psychological aggression was the only pretreatment variable that consistently added significant prediction of recidivism beyond the PAPS. The PAPS is recommended for research uses involving statistical control or balancing of conditions in studies of partner violence interventions. Further research will be needed to establish cutoffs for clinical case management and treatment planning.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Babcock, J. C., Green, C. E., & Robie, C. (in press). Does batterers' treatment work? A meta-analytic review of domestic violence treatment . Clinical Psychology Review.
2.
Babor, T. F., de la Fuente, J. R., Saunders, J., & Grant, M. (1992). AUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Guidelines for use in primary health care. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization .
3.
Begun, A. L., Murphy, C. M., Bolt, D., Weinstein, B., Strodthoff, T., Short, L., et al. (2003). Characteristics of the Safe at Home Instrument for assessing readiness to change intimate partner violence . Research on Social Work Practice, 13, 80-107 .
4.
Campbell, J. C. (1995). Prediction of homicide of and by battered women. In J. C. Campbell (Ed.), Assessing dangerousness: Violence by sexual offenders, batterers, and child abusers (pp. 96-113). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage .
5.
DeMaris, A., & Jackson, J. K. (1987). Batterers' reports of recidivism after counseling . Social Casework, 68, 458-465 .
6.
Dempster, A. P., Laird, N. M., & Rubin, D. B. (1977). Maximum likelihood from incomplete data via the EM algorithm . Journal of the Royal Statistical Society B: Methodological, 39, 1-38 .
7.
Dunford, F. W. (2000). The San Diego Navy experiment: An assessment of interventions for men who assault their wives . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 468-476 .
8.
Dutton, D. G. (1995). A scale for measuring the propensity for abusiveness . Journal of Family Violence, 10, 203-221 .
9.
Dutton, D. G., Bonarchuk, M., Kropp, P. R., Hart, S. D., & Ogloff, J. P. (1997). Client personality disorders affecting wife assault post-treatment recidivism . Violence and Victims, 12, 37-50 .
10.
Dutton, D. G., & Kropp, P. R. (2000). A review of domestic violence risk instruments . Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1, 171-182 .
11.
Fals-Stewart, W. (2003). The occurrence of partner violence on days of alcohol consumption: A longitudinal diary study . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 41-52 .
12.
Gondolf, E. W. (1997). Patterns of reassault in batterer programs . Violence and Victims, 12, 373-387 .
13.
Gondolf, E. (2002). Batterer intervention systems: Issues, outcomes, and recommendations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage .
14.
Goodman, L. A., Dutton, M. A., & Bennett, L. (2000). Predicting repeat abuse among arrested batterers: Use of the danger assessment scale in the criminal justice system . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 63-74 .
15.
Hamberger, L. K., & Hastings, J. E. (1990). Recidivism following spouse abuse abatement counseling: Treatment program implications . Violence and Victims, 5, 157-170 .
16.
Hare, R. D. (1991). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems .
17.
Haynes, S. N., Chavez, R. E., & Samuel, V. (1984). Assessment of marital communication and distress . Behavioral Assessment, 6, 315-321 .
18.
Heyman, R. E., Brown, P. D., Feldbau-Kohn, S. R., & O'Leary, K. D. (1999). Couples' communication behaviors as predictors of dropout and treatment response in wife abuse treatment programs . Behavior Therapy, 30, 165-189 .
19.
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., Meehan, J. C., Herron, K., Rehman, U., & Stuart, G. L. (2000). Testing the Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) batterer typology . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 1000-1019 .
20.
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., & Stuart, G. L. (1994). Typologies of male batterers: Three subtypes and the differences among them . Psychological Bulletin, 116, 476-497 .
21.
Kropp, P. R., & Hart, S. D. (2000). The Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) Guide: Reliability and validity in adult male offenders . Law and Human Behavior, 24, 101-118 .
22.
Morrel, T. M., Elliott, J. D., Murphy, C. M., & Taft, C. (2003). A comparison of cognitive- behavioral and supportive group therapies for male perpetrators of domestic abuse . Behavior Therapy, 34, 77-95 .
23.
Murphy, C. M., Musser, P. H., & Maton, K. I. (1998). Coordinated community intervention for domestic abusers: Intervention system involvement and criminal recidivism . Journal of Family Violence, 13, 263-284 .
24.
Palmer, S. E., Brown, R. A., & Barrera, M. E. (1992). Group treatment program for abusive husbands: Long-term evaluation . American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 62, 276-283 .
25.
Remington, N. A., & Murphy, C. M. (2001, November). Treatment outcomes of partner violence perpetrators with psychopathic and borderline personality characteristics . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Philadelphia.
26.
Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. New York: Basic Books .
27.
Sanders, B., & Becker-Lausen, E. (1995). The measurement of psychological maltreatment: Early data on the Child Abuse and Trauma Scale . Child Abuse & Neglect, 19, 315-323 .
28.
Saunders, D. G. (1992). A typology of men who batter: Three types derived from cluster analysis . American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 62, 11-22 .
29.
Spielberger, C. D. (1988). Manual for the Stait-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources .
30.
Stout, R. L., Wirtz, P. W., Carbonari, J. P., & Del Boca, F. K. (1994). Ensuring balanced distribution of prognostic factors in treatment outcome research . Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 55(Suppl. 12), 70-75 .
31.
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-2) . Journal of Family Issues, 7, 283-316 .
32.
Waltz, J., Babcock, J. C., Jacobson, N. S., & Gottman, J. M. (2000). Testing a typology of batterers . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 658-669 .
33.
Weisz, A. N., Tolman, R. M., & Saunders, D. G. (2000). Assessing the risk of severe domestic violence: The importance of survivors' predictions . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 75-90 .
