Evaluating a Brief Group Program for Women Victims of Intimate Partner Abuse

Abstract

Objective: Despite high client satisfaction and excellent outcomes for completers of a 12-week dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) group program for women victims of intimate partner abuse (IPA), the dropout rate between initial contact and program completion has been as high as 70%. To establish better treatment engagement and retention, and thus to help more women, a two-day DBT group program, or “workshop” with a similar curriculum was developed and evaluated. Methods: The participants were 72 women who were referred from crisis centers, courts, local women`s shelters and agencies serving intimate partner abuse victims. Women who are or have been in an abusive relationship voluntarily participated in the research and received a 2-day intervention, which included baseline, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up assessment. Results: The 2-day workshop resulted in significantly higher attendance (69% vs. 43%) and completion rate (65% vs. 17%) compared with the 12-week standard group treatment program. From pre-treatment to 3 months follow-up, participants (N = 37, who completed both the treatment and the follow-up assessment) reported significant improvements across a range of outcome and process variables, including general psychological distress, depression, hopelessness, PTSD severity, self-compassion, self-efficacy, positive affect, negative affect, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, shame, mindfulness, and use of DBT skills. Results also showed that improved self-validation, emotion regulation, DBT skill use, mindfulness, and decreased emotional arousal were associated with most outcome variables (i.e., social adjustment, depression, general psychological distress, hopelessness, PTSD severity, and effective skill use). In addition, participants reported very high satisfaction with the intervention. Conclusions: These findings support the utility of the program`s effectiveness in increasing treatment engagement, reducing dropout, and enhancing psychological well-being of women victims of IPA. Further research on the long-term impact of this brief intervention is warranted. Suggestions for future research will be discussed.