|
Research Corner by Rachael Collie, PhD
In this quarter, I focus on offense-related cognition from two perspectives. In the first article, I briefly summarize key findings on the connection between explicit and implicit cognitions and physical intimate partner violence. In the second article, I highlight research on the challenges of working with domestic violence offenders, noting that several of these challenges relate to the attitudes held by individuals, their peers, and the community at large.
Pornari, C. D., Dixon, L., & Humphreys, G. W. (2021). A preliminary investigation into a range of implicit and explicit offense supportive cognitions in perpetrators of physical intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36 (3-4), NP2079-2111.
Traditionally, cognitions or attitudes have been measured explicitly through self-report questionnaires. These rely on attitudes being accessible to awareness and conscious control. An alternative approach is implicit methods which measure the strength of association between concepts stored in long-term memory. Implicit methods can assess implicit attitudes (also called schema) that operate automatically and outside of conscious awareness. The current study examined several IPV-related offense-supportive cognitions using questionnaires and implicit measures in 19 men who had perpetrated physical IPV against a female partner and 20 men who had not. On explicit attitude measures, the IPV men reported significantly more relationship dominance, controlling behaviors, psychological entitlement, gender-role stereotypes, hostility toward women, attitudes condoning physical IPV, instrumental beliefs about (general) aggression, and less relationship satisfaction. On implicit attitude measures, the IPV men demonstrated significantly more gender-role attitudes, positivity toward violence, negative/hostile attitudes toward women, a sense of relationship and general entitlement, and normalization of IPV. Several of the explicit and implicit measures showed significant correlations with each other. The findings from this study illustrate that IPV perpetrators can have attitudes supportive of intimate partner violence that operate on a conscious and an unconscious or automatic level. The authors discuss how the findings are consistent with schema models of offense-supportive cognition as well as some possible avenues for including a focus on implicit attitudes in treatment.
Morrison, P. K., Hawker, L., Cluss, P. A., Miller, E., Fleming, R., Bicehouse, T., George, D., Burke, J., Wright, K., & Chang, J. C. (2021). The challenges of working with men who perpetrate partner violence: Perspectives and observations of experts who work with batterer intervention programs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36 (7-8), NP352-3546.
In this study, the authors sought to identify and describe the challenges encountered in promoting prosocial behavior change in domestic violence treatment through the lens of professionals involved or associated with domestic violence treatment programs. A total of 36 interviews were conducted with a range of professionals associated with two different programs delivered at multiple sites in the US. Qualitative analysis of the interviews identified 6 themes in the reported barriers to change: (i) social acceptance of violence, (ii) hypermasculine attitudes, (iii) emotional issues, (iv) childhood exposure to violence, (v) mental health and substance abuse, and (vi) denial, minimization, and blame. The findings highlighted that challenges to effective treatment and prosocial change exist at multiple levels of clients' ecosystems (individual, peer-community, and societal). The significant role of attitudes was apparent across several of the themes.
Concluding Comments
The two reports reflect very different approaches to researching intimate partner violence, yet both highlight the influential role of explicit and implicit offense-supportive attitudes at an individual, peer-community, and societal level. Both studies discuss the potential for enhancing the effectiveness of domestic violence treatment programs by attending to offense-supportive attitudes.
By Rachael Collie, PhD, Staff Researcher/Statistical Analyst
| 
