Date of Award

2002

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

PhD Higher Education Leadership, Management, Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

Laura Palmer

Committee Member

Morgan Murray

Committee Member

Shawn Utsey

Committee Member

John Smith

Keywords

Family violence, Treatment, Abusive men

Abstract

This study examined the impact of the therapeutic alliance and client motivation for therapy on program completion and changes in self-reported abusive behavior among a sample of 88 adult male domestic violence perpetrators who attended a group counseling program for male batterers. Results revealed evidence of significant differential Group change (completers vs. noncompleters) with regard to treatment outcome, as measured by decreased husband-to-wife psychological and physical aggression. In addition, Internal Motivation for Therapy and a strong Working Alliance were not significantly related to treatment completion. Level of education was not found to be a significant predictor of self-reported changes in abusive behavior (measured by the Conflict Tactics Scale- 2). Relationship status was significantly, but marginally, related to only the Negotiation subscale of the CTS-2. It may be hypothesized that there are additional factors related to changes in self-reported abusive behavior that influence program completion.

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