A Literature Review of Strategies for the Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence During the Childbearing Years

Abstract

This narrative literature review examines the peer-reviewed research in English on the prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) during the childbearing years, published between January 2000 and January 2015. It shows that in the 43 articles that were located there is a disproportionate emphasis on making females responsible for not becoming victims of IPV, especially if they are mothers, who are made responsible for ensuring not only their own but also their children's safety. Also noted is a striking lack of research on the prevention of IPV perpetration in males, particularly fathers. Even the current IPV research that focuses on interventions with males, notes the absence of interventions specifically designed for fathers and calls for both a better understanding of the underlying factors that contribute to male violence and a focus on interventions tailored to preparing men for the challenges of fatherhood. Two such programs are described in the final section of this review.Keywords: intimate partner, domestic violence, domestic abuse, prevention, childbearing, pregnancy, parenthood, transition to parenthood, father, fatherhood, paternal Teila Sinnott, MA is working for the Government of Alberta as a policy analyst as part of a policy internship program. Email: teilasinnott@gmail.com Sibylle Artz, PhD (the corresponding author) is a Professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria, P.O. Box 1700, STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 2Y2. Email: sartz@uvic.ca International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies (2016) 7(3/4): 324-342 325 Interest in the serious and widespread issue of intimate partner violence (IPV) has increasingly been characterized by a growing concern for the impact of exposure to this violence on children (Jackson & Artz, 2014) Although children may not be the direct victims of IPV, research clearly shows that witnessing violence between family members puts children at risk of adverse outcomes in multiple domains, including neurological, mental, and physiological development; these in turn can lead to poor physical health; multiple behavioural challenges such as conduct disorder, delinquency, and crime, and, eventually, poor academic and employment outcomes ( Artz et al., 2014). The personal impacts of witnessing IPV also come with enormous economic costs to society: costs for the provision of medical care, criminal justice, and other social services, and costs incurred through the loss of productivity in education and the workplace (Andresen & Linning, 2014). Estimates that put the rate of IPV exposure at 125,000 new children in Canada each year approximate a yearly economic expense of $759 million for a single cohort of children (Andresen & Linning, 2014). New costs of course are not "freestanding" and are added each year to the already accumulated lifelong costs of all previous new cases. With $759 million as the benchmark for each new cohort and the cumulative continuing costs over a ten-year period for the ten cohorts ...

Patterns of Gender Equitable Attitudes and Behaviors Among Young Men: Relationships With Violence Perpetration and Masculinity Ideologies

“…For these men, skill-building and concrete opportunities for antiviolence and care work involvement could serve to nudge individuals toward the Feminist group as well as to shift behavioral norms within their social networks and communities. Finally, consistent with previous literature, given the relatively higher levels of violence and inequitable attitudes among some men with children, an important point of intervention is men's transition into fatherhood (Sinnott & Artz, 2016).…”

Viewing Children’s Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence Through a Developmental, Social-Ecological, and Survivor Lens: The Current State of the Field, Challenges, and Future Directions

“…To address the lack of prevention programs that target IPV perpetration risk factors for expectant and new fathers universally or men with histories of IPV (Sinnott & Artz, 2016), a new focus is urgently needed (Carlson & Casey, 2018). A transition-to-fatherhood program that includes an IPV prevention approach must include a gender-equitable frame that promotes positive gender and sexual social norms in addition to healthy nonviolent child care practices.…”

“…A transition-to-fatherhood program that includes an IPV prevention approach must include a gender-equitable frame that promotes positive gender and sexual social norms in addition to healthy nonviolent child care practices. This approach is also imperative to reshape the narrative and reduce the common practice of holding mothers responsible for family violence (Sinnott & Artz, 2016).…”

Disjunctures in Experiences of Support During the Transition to Fatherhood of Men Who Have Used Intimate Partner Violence

“…Limitations notwithstanding, the fathers in this study clearly experienced several disjunctures related to their support during the transition to fatherhood. We join with Featherstone and Peckover (2007) and Sinnott and Artz (2016) who posit that strategies to prevent IPV during the childbearing years must be recalibrated to include service for fathers. Sinnott and Artz (2016) argue for such tailored services for fathers for two reasons: to achieve a comprehensive response to IPV and to enhance safety for the partners and children of men who have used violence.…”

“…We join with Featherstone and Peckover (2007) and Sinnott and Artz (2016) who posit that strategies to prevent IPV during the childbearing years must be recalibrated to include service for fathers. Sinnott and Artz (2016) argue for such tailored services for fathers for two reasons: to achieve a comprehensive response to IPV and to enhance safety for the partners and children of men who have used violence. Efforts to augment transition to fatherhood supports specifically for fathers who are struggling with their use of violence can be informed by the findings here.…”