Parental reflective functioning in fathers who use intimate partner violence: Findings from a Norwegian clinical sample

Abstract

Few studies have examined fathering in an intimate partner violence (IPV) context outside the US. The present study included 36 Norwegian men who were voluntarily participating in therapy after perpetrating acts of IPV. They were interviewed with the revised Parent Development Interview, which is designed to assess parental reflective functioning (parental RF), and screened for alcohol- and substance-use habits and trauma history. At the group level, participants exhibited poor parental RF, high relational trauma scores, and elevated alcohol intake. Parental RF did not correlate with education level, alcohol or substance use, or compound measures of trauma history. There was a moderate negative relationship between having experienced physical abuse in childhood and parental RF.