The tool, the Motivational Individualized Plan (PMI), has been tested in Spain with men convicted for gender violence with less of two years imprisonment, no criminal record. After verified its effectiveness in the Contexto Programme, that takes place in the Universitat de València (https://www.programacontexto.org), is being implemented in three programmes of Penalty and Alternative Measures of Penal Institutions, and in Croatia in the Penalty and Alternative Measures System.

Specifically, the intervention strategy has been adapted to the intervention programmes for convicted for gender violence, for domestic violence and for crime of child sexual abuse online. That takes place all over Spain, coordinated by the General Service of Penalty and Alternative Measures of the General Secretary of Penal Institutions.

“In Spain is the first study realised of this characteristics. Furthermore, is presented an intervention tool that can apply to interventions with population resilient to change and shows its potential to improve the standard programmes of intervention with abusers”, explains Marisol Lila.

The article, also signed by Alba Catalá and Enrique García, of the Department of Social Psychology of the Universitat de València, confirmed how better results can be obtained than the produced with the unique standard programme. That has been realised including motivational strategies (the mentioned Motivational Individualized Plan) in a standard programme of intervention with abusers.

Accordingly, 160 men convicted for gender violence against their partners or ex-partners, over 18, were distributed to two different treatment conditions. The experimental group, where the PMI has applied, has received the standard programme and motivational strategies that compose the PMI (motivational interviewing, individual and group review of goals, reinforcement of the goals and techniques of proactive retention), during 9 months, with six months more of monitoring.

The results indicate that men that received this intervention presented more motivation to the change, more adherence to the intervention, less physical violence auto-informed and less risk of recidivism that the participants in the groups where the PMI has not been included. “Our study supports the idea of including motivational strategies in the intervention programmes with abusers because it increases the effectiveness of thereof”, claims Marisol Lila.

Equally, this strategy has adapted to the programmes that began to implement in the System of Penalty and Alternative Measures of the Croatian Ministry of Justice, as a result of the participation of the professor Marisol Lila in the Twinning Project Support to further development and strengthening of the Probation Service in Croatia (Twinning Number HR 14 IB JH 01). It is coordinated by the General Secretary of the Penal Institutions.

Research

Gender-based violence is a problem of public health of epidemic proportions, according to the World Health Organization. Intervention programmes with convicted me for gender violence include in the Law 12/2004 of Comprehensive Protection against Gender-based violence as an treatment tools and prevention, in order to protect victims. Currently, in the research field related to the effectiveness of this type of programmes, the importance of using motivational strategies is increasingly stressed. It generates a greater adhesion to intervention and motivation to change.

The effectiveness to these programmes are affected by questions as the high resistance to intervention by men involved and the programme abandonment. The minimisation of the seriousness of his behaviour, between these men, is frequent. Also the denial of the crime and victim-blaming, among other factors.

“For all these reasons, it is essential to design and implement strategies that generate a higher intervention and motivation to change. Equally, it is essential to test if, effectively, these strategies work as a rigorous methodology”, claims the full professor of Social Psychology and director of research Marisol Lila.

Article:

Marisol Lila, Enrique Gracia and Alba Catalá-Miñana: «Individualized Motivational Plans in Batterer Intervention Programs: A Randomized Clinical Trial». Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2018, Vol. 86, No. 4, 1, 309–320. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000291  

Caption:

Marisol Lila, Alba Català and Enrique Gracia, researchers of the Department of Social Psychology of the Universitat de València.

Social de la Universitat de València.