PEOPLE WHO USE VIOLENCE (NPRF 24.03)
The role and impact of Men’s Behaviour Change Programs in IPV desistance pathways
2.5 years
Little research has explored the factors which support men who perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) to stop or significantly reduce their abusive behaviours (sometimes referred to as "desistance").
This is despite consistent international evidence that some men do stop or reduce their use of violent behaviours. We need more evidence on what causes men to stop or reduce their use of IPV.
Research aims
The research project aims to investigate the role of men’s behaviour change programs (MBCPs) in facilitating pathways out of perpetration, identify factors that support or hinder these pathways, and explore how these dynamics vary across a diversity of backgrounds and over time.
Methods
This project follows a mixed methods research design, involving the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. This includes:
- Interviews with men who have recently participated in a MBCP, conducted at entry and 6-12 months post-exit and, where possible, interviews with their current/former partners.
- Interviews with victim-survivors of IPV whose partners participated in a MBCP in the past five years and experienced desistance in the abuse perpetrated against them.
- A workshop with MBCP practitioners across Australia, to inform the development of practice guidelines for embedding desistance evidence within program delivery and design.
Significance
Evidence is crucial for informing federal and state policies aimed at ending gender-based violence, with a particular need for findings on what leads to and prevents people from using DFSV. The federal government’s substantial funding for research in this area, via the 2024–2025 Budget, emphasises its policy importance.
This project will contribute to this knowledge base and support the strengthening of systems that better hold people who use violence to account. The project findings will also be directly relevant to anyone responsible for developing and implementing interventions targeted at men who use violence. This includes MBCP practitioners, educators and managers.
Researchers
Project lead
Dr Hayley Boxall, Research Fellow, Australian National University (ANU)
Research team
Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Principal Consultant, Sequre Consulting
Professor Silke Meyer, Professor, Griffith University
Professor Lorana Bartels, Professor, ANU
Budget
$285,550 (excluding GST)
This project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.