Motivational Enhancement Mitigates the Effects of Problematic Alcohol Use on Treatment Compliance Among Partner Violent Offenders: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2015-08, Vol.83 (4), p.689-695
• Main Authors: Crane, Cory A., Eckhardt, Christopher I., Schlauch, Robert C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aggression; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcoholism; Behavior modification; Binge Drinking; Binge Drinking - complications; Clinical psychology; Criminal Offenders; Criminals - psychology; Domestic violence; Human; Humans; Intimate Partner Violence; Intimate Partner Violence - prevention & control; Intimate Partner Violence - psychology; Male; Middle Aged; Motivational Interviewing; Noncompliance; Patient Compliance; Risk Factors; Substance abuse treatment; Treatment Compliance
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/a0039345

Objective: Treatment programs for intimate partner violence (IPV) evidence high rates of noncompliance, which is associated with repeat offending. Problematic alcohol use is reported in approximately half of all partner violent offenders and represents a strong risk factor for treatment noncompliance. However, previous research with IPV offenders mandated to treatment has not evaluated methods to mitigate the effects of alcohol misuse on treatment compliance. Method: In the current study, 60 male IPV offenders (25 binge drinkers) were randomly assigned to a single-session brief motivational interview (BMI) or control intervention prior to treatment commencement. Treatment compliance data were collected 6 months later. Results: Findings indicated that binge drinkers had lower treatment compliance than non-binge-drinking participants, and that binge-drinking BMI participants attended more treatment sessions and evidenced lower dropout rates than binge-drinking control participants. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of individualized treatment planning for IPV offenders in order to maximize available resources while accommodating the needs of males at greatest risk for noncompliance and continued violence. What is the public health significance of this article? Findings strongly suggest that brief motivational interviewing may be a particularly effective adjunctive intervention to increase treatment compliance among partner violent men who engage in binge drinking. This study highlights the importance of individual assessment and treatment planning to meet the highly variable needs of men seeking treatment for partner violence perpetration.