Breaking the Cycle of Family Violence: A Critique of Family Violence Interventions

Abstract

As the intergenerational transmission of family violence is associated with numerous negative outcomes, interventions are needed to interrupt this cycle. Our aim is to review the family violence intervention literature and to assess whether and how interventions interrupt the intergenerational transmission of family violence. Papers about interventions were identified through database searches (PubMed, JSTOR, CINAHL, PsycINFO), supplemented by review of references and relevant review papers. Eligibility criteria included: empirical studies detailing interventions to interrupt or prevent child abuse/maltreatment and/or intimate partner violence, published between January 2000 and August 2020, and written in English. Of the 14 papers included in this narrative review, only 3 explicitly stated that they aimed to break the cycle of family violence; 12 papers came from high-income countries, and 10 focused on individuals, with half focusing on mothers. We identify effective intervention approaches, including long-term one-on-one coaching and home visits to improve parenting. Results demonstrate a dose–response relationship, suggesting the lasting value of increased intervention frequency and duration. We highlight gaps in the literature, including the need for interventions in low-income countries, and those geared toward fathers and neighborhoods/communities. We also examine the many methodological challenges of this work, such as possible biases related to the use of retrospective data, lack of objective outcome measures, and absence of long-term follow-up. Our recommendations for future research include incorporating trauma-informed frameworks, developing standardized definitions and measures to facilitate the comparison of intervention results, and designing more interventions specifically for fathers/husbands and for the prevention of intimate partner violence.