The Duluth Model and ACTV for Domestic Violence

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Domestic Violence
• Interventions: Behavioral: ACTV; Behavioral: The Duluth Model

• Registration Number: NCT03609801
• Lead Sponsor: Iowa State University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research is to compare the effectiveness of two interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). In most states, men who are convicted of domestic assault court-mandated to complete a Batterers Intervention Program (BIP) as part of their sentencing. The most commonly used BIP is based on The Duluth Model, which has been shown to decrease the recidivism of IPV offenders, but only marginally. The Duluth Model is a group intervention based on feminist theory and cognitive behavioral therapy. A new BIP called Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior (ACTV) has recently been developed by the PI as an alternative to Duluth. ACTV is currently being used statewide within the Department of Corrections (DOC) in Iowa. ACTV is a group intervention that utilizes acceptance and mindfulness techniques in addition to techniques from cognitive behavior therapy. The current study will use a randomized control trial to compare Duluth and ACTV, in order to assess the interventions' relative impact reducing IPV behaviors (physical aggression, psychological aggression, stalking, harassment, etc). Data on these outcomes will be collected via official criminal justice reports (i.e., criminal charges) as well as reports from victims. Other processes and outcomes of interest (attitudes toward women, emotion regulation, parenting behaviors, etc) will be collected from offenders.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-06-29
• Study First Submitted: 2018-07-25
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-07-25
• Study First Posted: 2018-08-01
• Primary Completion: 2022-05-31
• Study Completion: 2023-05-31
• Status Verified: 2024-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-12-27
• Last Update Posted: 2024-12-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 799

Inclusion Criteria

• English-speaking
• First time domestic assault offender
• Domestic assault must be against an intimate partner
• Must be on supervision/probation

Exclusion Criteria

• Participation in any previous ACT-based or Duluth Model programming

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
ACTV	ACTV	Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior (ACTV) - pronounced "ACTIVE" - is a new Batterers Intervention Program (BIP) for domestic violence offenders. ACTV was developed as a collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and the criminal justice system in the state of Iowa (Zarling, Lawrence, Oregno, 2017). It is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, \& Wilson, 1999), which is an evidence-based cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. ACTV is an innovative BIP in two primary ways; first, ACTV applies the ACT model to the treatment of domestic violence, and second, ACTV is specifically designed for use in the correctional setting as part of criminal justice programming.
The Duluth Model	The Duluth Model	The Duluth Model Men's Nonviolence Classes is the most widely used BIP. The Duluth Model is based on the premise that domestic abuse happens when men believe they have the right to authority over women who are their intimate partners. The Duluth Model's Men's Nonviolence Classes (The Duluth Model for short) help men stop battering and explore the consequences of the violence for themselves, their partner and their children.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Domestic assault recidivism	One year time period following BIP	Domestic assault charges (per criminal justice data)
Conflict Tactics Scale	Start and end of BIP, then one year later	Psychological (subscale min-max= 0-48), physical (subscale min-max= 0-72), and sexual (subscale min-max= 0-42) aggression (per victim reports); higher values = greater frequency of aggressive acts

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II)	Start and end of BIP	Experiential avoidance (per offender self-report); min-max = 7-49; higher scores = greater experiential avoidance
Male Role Norms Inventory-Revised	Start and end of BIP	Sexist beliefs and attitudes; min-max = 21-147; higher scores = greater agreement with traditional gender roles and sexist beliefs

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

5th Judicial District Department of Corrections; 🇺🇸 Des Moines, Iowa, United States