The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
J Interpers Violence. 2023 Jul;38(13-14):8016-8041. doi: 10.1177/08862605231153885. Epub 2023 Feb 10.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global issue with huge impacts on individuals, families, and communities. It is also a gendered problem, with the vast majority of IPV perpetrated by men. To date, interventions have primarily focused on victim/survivors; however, it is increasingly recognized that men's use of violence must also be addressed. Despite this, there remain limited options for doing this in practice. In most high-income countries, men's behavior change programs (MBCPs) or their equivalent are the typical referral pathway, with men often mandated to attend by the criminal justice system. Yet, these programs have limited evidence for their effectiveness and recidivism and dropouts are major challenges. Moreover, an entire subset of men-those uninvolved with criminal justice settings-remain under-serviced. It is clear that a critical gap remains around early engagement with men using violence in relationships. This study explores the potential for digital interventions (websites or apps) to fill this gap through qualitative analysis of data from focus groups with 21 men attending MBCPs in Victoria, Australia. Overall, we interpreted men's perceptions of digital interventions as being able to facilitate connection with the "better man inside," with four sub-themes: (a) Don't jump down my throat straight away; (b) Help me realize what I'm becoming; (c) Seeing a change in my future; and (d) Make it simple and accessible. The findings of this study suggest that there is strong potential for digital interventions to engage early with men using IPV, but also some key challenges. Websites or apps can provide a safe, private space for men to reflect on their behavior and its consequences; however, the lack of interpersonal interaction can make it challenging to balance non-judgmental engagement with accountability. These issues should be considered when designing digital interventions for men using violence in relationships.
亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）是一个全球性的重大问题，对个人、家庭和社区都有巨大影响。它也是一个性别问题，绝大多数 IPV 都是由男性实施的。迄今为止，干预措施主要集中在受害者/幸存者身上；然而，人们越来越认识到，也必须解决男性使用暴力的问题。尽管如此，在实践中仍然很少有选择来解决这个问题。在大多数高收入国家，男性行为改变计划（MBCP）或其等效计划是典型的转介途径，男性通常被刑事司法系统强制要求参加。然而，这些计划在有效性和累犯方面的证据有限，辍学率是主要挑战。此外，还有一部分男性——那些与刑事司法环境无关的男性——仍然得不到服务。显然，在早期与有暴力行为的男性接触方面仍然存在一个关键的差距。本研究通过对 21 名参加澳大利亚维多利亚州 MBCP 的男性进行焦点小组的定性分析，探讨了数字干预措施（网站或应用程序）填补这一空白的潜力。总的来说，我们将男性对数字干预措施的看法解释为能够促进与“内心更好的自己”的联系，有四个子主题：（a）不要马上对我大喊大叫；（b）帮助我认识到我正在成为什么样的人；（c）看到我未来的变化；（d）使其简单易懂。这项研究的结果表明，数字干预措施有很大的潜力可以早期接触到使用 IPV 的男性，但也存在一些关键挑战。网站或应用程序可以为男性提供一个安全、私人的空间，让他们反思自己的行为及其后果；然而，缺乏人际互动可能会使非评判性的参与与问责制之间的平衡变得具有挑战性。在为使用暴力的男性设计数字干预措施时，应该考虑这些问题。
