Improving empathy with motivational strategies in batterer intervention programmes: Results of a randomized controlled trial

• Published in: British journal of clinical psychology 2019-06, Vol.58 (2), p.125-139
• Main Authors: Romero‐Martínez, Ángel, Lila, Marisol, Gracia, Enrique, Moya‐Albiol, Luis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; batterer interventions; Behavior Therapy - methods; Change agents; Clinical trials; Cognition; Cognitive ability; cognitive flexibility; Decoding; Domestic violence; Effectiveness; Emotional regulation; Emotions; emotion‐decoding abilities; Empathy; Female; Humans; Intervention; Intimate partner violence; Linear analysis; Male; Medical research; Moral judgment; Morality; Motivation; neuropsychology; Perpetrators; Perspective taking; Physical Abuse - prevention & control; Prosocial behavior; Protective factors; Recidivism; Risk factors; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 0144-6657; 2044-8260
• DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12204

Objectives Empathy (i.e., the ability to decode emotions, as well as cognitive and emotional empathy) is involved in moral reasoning, prosocial behaviour, social and emotional adequacy, mood and behaviour regulation. Hence, alterations in these functions could reduce behaviour control and the adoption of specific types of violence such as intimate partner violence (IPV). Although interventions for IPV perpetrators focus on reducing IPV risk factors and increasing protective factors to prevent this kind of violence, the study of the effectiveness of these programmes in promoting changes in empathy (cognitive and emotional) has been neglected. Design Hence, the main aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two different modalities of IPV intervention programmes (Standard Batterer Intervention Programs [SBIP] vs. SBIP + Individualized Motivational Plan [IMP]) in promoting empathic improvements after both interventions. Method Participants were randomly assigned to receive SBIP (n = 40) or SBIP + IMP (n = 53). The effectiveness of the intervention in the total sample and the group effects were evaluated with general linear model repeated‐measures ANOVA. Results Results revealed that only the IPV perpetrators who received the SBIP + IMP were more accurate in decoding emotional facial signals and presented better cognitive empathy (perspective taking) after the intervention programme. Conclusions Our study reinforces the view that different modalities of IPV intervention might lead to different cognitive outcomes after the intervention. Thus, these results may help professionals to develop specific intervention programmes focused on improving cognitive abilities in order to reduce IPV recidivism. Practitioner points Interventions for batterers’ neglected empathic changes after these programmes. Not enough randomized controlled trials for these kinds of interventions. An improvement in the ability to decode emotions after the intervention programme. An improvement in cognitive empathy (perspective taking) after the intervention programme. Different modalities of IPV intervention might lead to different cognitive outcomes after the intervention.