NoVA Research-Batterers as Fathers

As part of our commitment to ending violence and abuse, the Non-Violence Alliance is committed to research that will advance the field of batterer intervention. Working independently and with research partners like Dr. Emily Rothman, Matrix Public Health Consultants, and EncompassGroup, we are currently involved in research on batterers as fathers, improvements in the child protection, effectiveness of batterer intervention programs in correctional settings, and program outcomes and screening for batterers in medical settings.

• A National Study Of Batterers’ Perceptions Of Their Children’s Exposure to the Violence and Abuse
• Cognitive Assessment of Abusive Fathers>
• Abstract for "Batterers's Perception of the Effect of Their Intimate Partner Violence on Children: Biological and Social Fathers Compared"

Batterers's Perception of the Effect of Their Intimate Partner Violence on Children: Biological and Social Fathers Compared

While research suggests that the coping skills of battered mothers' may mediate the effect of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and post-traumatic stress among children, the effect of batterers' attitudes and post-incident coping behaviors on children's outcomes has not been widely studied. Analyzing the attitudes and behavioral intentions of a sample of 338 partner-abusive fathers, we found that biological fathers were twice as likely as social fathers (i.e. step or unmarried step fathers) to express concern about the long-term effects of their abuse on their children. However, biological fathers were no more likely than social fathers to report intentions to stop their violence, seek a divorce, move out of the house or participate in family counseling in order to mitigate the harm that they may have caused their children. Our findings suggest that fathers' expressions of concern about the effects of their violence on children may be a poor indicator of their intentions to refrain from abuse. Research that clarifies whether abusive biological fathers' empathy for their children can be used to engage them more meaningfully in behavior change interventions is needed.