Develop. of the Partner Violence Perpetration Among Men

Harvard University (Sch Of Public Hlth), Boston MA

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Abstract

As clearly expressed in the call for these proposals, data on the risk and protective factors that contribute to the development of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among adult males are woefully lacking. The small number of previous studies in this area have failed to include major social contexts for IPV, have typically included a very narrow range of factors within these ecologic strata, and have failed to examine protective factors. Identifying protective factors is considered especially critical to constructing effective prevention programming. We propose a mixed-methods retrospective cohort study of men ages 18-35 (age Iroup found to perpetrate IPV at the highest rates; N=4000) attending eight community health centers within racially/ethically diverse neighborhoods in the Boston area to assess risk and protective factors for perpetration of IPV. Quantitative survey data will be collected regarding developmental pathways and social contexts (including individual, family, peer, and community levels) hypothesized to relate to IPV perpetration. Additionally, we will collect qualitative data from in-depth interviews of men (n=80) participating in quantitative surveys selected for both perpetration non-perpetration of IPV, but reporting similar risk profiles to elucidate protective factors/mechanisms and provide context/meaning for quantitative data. We will also utilize this mixed dataset to assess interrelations of IPV perpetration and perpetration of other forms of violence (suicide, sexual violence, child maltreatment, general violence). Finally, we will assess the relevance of findings regarding risk and protective factors for IPV perpetration to the population of men in treatment, i.e., enrolled in batterer intervention (BI) programs from these same communities via quantitative surveys of men ages 18-35 (n=450) participating in five BI programs situated within communities served by participating community health centers. This comparison will be vital to determining whether the risk and protective factors identified are relevant to present interventions for men who batter their female partners.