Domestic Violence, Spouse Abuse
Conditions
Keywords
Behavior therapy, Group therapy
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Brøset anger management model in reducing violent behavior amongst clients who are violent in intimate partnerships and who voluntarily seek help. Violence in intimate partnerships constitutes a serious problem worldwide and there is reason to believe that cognitive behavior therapy has some effect on the reduction of violent behavior. However, there are currently too few randomized controlled studies to conclude about the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy for this client group.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALThe Brøset anger management model
manualised structured cognitive treatment program 15 weeks (30 hours)
BEHAVIORALOrdinary group treatment
group treatment 8 weeks (16 hours)
Sponsors
St. Olavs Hospital
Karolinska Institutet
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* fluent in Norwegian language * is in a partner relationship at inclusion. Partner relationship is defined by having an intimate partner at present, or being in regular contact with a former intimate partner so that violence is possible (e.g. they have children) * admits being violent to his partner (physical, mental and/or sexual)
Exclusion criteria
* psychosis * alcohol- or drug addiction to a level that hinders group participation free from intoxication.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| violent behaviour, reported by partner and client | 3 months between assessments, 1 year duration, i.e. baseline and 4 follow-up assessments. In accordance with the original Norwegian protocol. | measured by using the Conflict Tactics Scale Revised (CTS2), instrument for measuring violence in intimate partnerships(10), which consists of 78 questions (0-7) about different aspects of violence (frequence of physical, psychological, sexual and material violence) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The client's and their partner's mental health | 3 months between assessments, 1 year duration, i.e. baseline and 4 follow-up assessments. In accordance with the original Norwegian protocol. | measured by using the Hopkins Symptoms Check List (HSCL-25, with 25 questions about the presence and intensity of anxiety and depression symptoms, and symptoms of somatoform character) |
| The client's and their partner's health service use and absence due to sickness | 3 months between assessments, 1 year duration, i.e. baseline and 4 follow-up assessments. In accordance with the original Norwegian protocol. | — |
| Changes in emotional dysregulation | 3 months between assessments, 1 year duration, i.e. baseline and 4 follow-up assessments. In accordance with the original Norwegian protocol. | Emotional regulation will be assessed by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS, Gratz & Roemer, 2004). |
Countries
Norway
Outcome results
None listed