Domestic Violence: Perpetrator Intervention

I. Introduction & theoretical perspective

Domestic violence (DV) is a social problem that plagues the United States (US). Although both men and women experience abuse, each year, approximately five million women experience some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) (Griffin-Burke, Mahoney, Gielen, McDonnell, & O'Campo, 2009). Furthermore, IPV crosses all socioeconomic positions and is associated with factors such as, alcohol and drug dependence, mental health, and environmental stressors. The relationship between the individual and the environment, that is, how they mutually influence each other, determines an outcome (Green & McDermott, 2010). In other words, one can be a chief financial officer for a billion dollar company or a custodian of a local high school and still be an abuser due to an array of factors.

Furthermore, abusive behavior comes in more forms than physical abuse, such as, psychological, emotional, and financial deprivation. In some circumstances, the abusive behaviors are even rewarded by the victim out of fear of continued abuse, being killed, or losing custody of a child. The latter is likely because of low social, economic, and educational factors. That is, the victim may feel that he or she lacks social support or lacks the education to obtain a job that can support him or her and the children.

Yet, the ramification of the abusive behaviors extends beyond the customary legal action and medical care for the perpetrator and victim, respectively. Hutchison (2008), referenced psychologist Albert Bandura’s perspective on social learning, stating that if a child observes a model individual being rewarded for their behaviors, they too will engage in the same behaviors. According to Stuart (2006), envi...

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