142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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IPV providers' persepctives on the challenges of batterer intervention programs

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM

Penelope Morrison, PhD, MPH , Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Veronica Szabo, PhD , Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Jessica Burke, PhD, MHS , Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA
Lynn Hawker, PhD , Independent, Pittsburgh, PA
Patricia Cluss, PhD , Independent, Pittsburgh, PA
Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD , Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Rhonda Fleming, MSOL , Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Kalem Wright, MSW , Independent, Pittsburgh, PA
Terry Bicehouse , Independent, Pittsburgh, PA
Donna George, MS , California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA
Judy Chang, MD, MPH , Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
Background/Study Objective:

Despite the high prevalence and significant societal and public health burdens caused by intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States, very little is understood regarding how best to intervene with IPV perpetrators. There is limited information regarding challenges associated with batterer intervention programs (BIPs). Our study objective was an in-depth description of challenges to BIPs from perspectives of facilitators, IPV victims’ advocates, and judiciary, law enforcement and health department officials.

Methods:

In our larger ethnographic study of BIPs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with BIP organizers and facilitators, IPV advocacy staff and administrators, and officials from the judiciary, law enforcement and health department. This analysis focuses on the portion of the interviews in which we ask subjects to describe their perspectives of the various programmatic challenges to effective BIPs.

Results: Thematically, the various types of internal program barriers described by our subjects included the following: (1) financial challenges—lack of designated and consistent funding, requirement to collect fees from clients, reliance on charitable donations; (2) training/staffing facilitators—limited pool of talented and dedicated facilitators, challenges training and retaining staff/volunteers; (3) conflict between programmatic and therapeutic objectives—meeting court requirements versus clients’ needs; (4) coordination challenges—intersystem communication break-downs, difficulty contacting clients, and (5) variation between programs—differences in philosophical and counseling approaches, differences in facilitator approaches and effects.

Conclusions:

Our subjects identified several categories of challenges associated with providing effective BIPs. Understanding these various challenges will assist in developing solutions and strategies to improving interventions for IPV perpetrators.

Learning Areas:

Other professions or practice related to public health
Program planning
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify internal barriers for batterer intervention programs.

Keyword(s): Domestic Violence, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Senior Research Associate and project coordinator on the current study. I have over 10 years experience in the application of qualitative methods to questions relevant to health services research. I am also a PhD trained medical anthropologist who holds a masters degree in public health and who has extensive experience working with vulnerable populations, including homeless youth, veterans and male perpetrators of domestic violence.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.