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EXPERT SYSTEM INTERVENTION--DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDERS
Phone: (401) 874-4106
Email: LEVESQUE@ETAL.URI.EDU
Phone: (401) 874-4100
Email: JANICEPRO@AOL.COM
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Male-to-female partner violence poses a
major threat to the physical and emotional well being of women. Research
assessing the efficacy of court-mandated domestic violence treatment programs
has yielded disappointing results. A major problem with mandated treatment is
that it tends to be standardized and 'one-size-fits-all,' neglecting individual
differences in motivation level and readiness to change. We propose to
individualize services by developing and testing a Transtheoretical Model (TTM)
based intervention tailored to individual stage of readiness to end the
violence. In Phase I the objective was to develop a stage-based
computer-administered multimedia expert system intervention and self-help
manual designed to be administered as an adjunct to traditional batterer
treatment. In Phase II, the objective is to complete development of the
intervention materials, translate them into Spanish, and assess their efficacy
in a randomized clinical trial. English- and Spanish-speaking domestic violence
treatment clients will be randomly assigned at treatment intake to the
experimental (n=350) or control condition (n=350). Efficacy will be assessed by
comparing the intervention and control groups on number of batterer treatment
sessions attended, partner reports of recidivism, re-arrests for domestic
assault, and several secondary outcome measures.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *