A Meta-Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence Treatment Programs: The Role of Risk-Need-Responsivity in Treatment Effectiveness
type: CreativeWork
description: Nationally, it is estimated that over 17 million people experience victimization by an intimate partner every year. Additionally, individuals who perpetuate intimate partner violence (IPV) often have high rates of re-offending, potentially as high as 60%. IPV Treatment Programs (ITPs) are interventions designed to reduce recidivism among intimate partner violent individuals by changing their thinking and behaviors, ultimately leading to increased victim safety. Although there is significant evidence to suggest that correctional treatment programs can reduce re-offending, the literature on ITPs is less clear about their effectiveness in reducing recidivism among participants. Furthermore, while other correctional interventions have taken more active steps towards adhering to the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) framework, ITPs have done so in a more limited manner. The conflicting research regarding ITP effectiveness make it an ideal topic to be assessed with meta-analytic methods. The current dissertation relied on a meta-analytic approach to answer the following research questions: 1) Do ITPs reduce recidivism among participants? 2) Does ITP effectiveness vary by adherence to RNR? and 3) Do other factors (associated with study, methodological, intervention, or outcome variables) explain variation in ITP effectiveness? This dissertation is among the first to evaluate whether adherence to the RNR model is associated with increased ITP effectiveness. Additionally, the current dissertation relied on an advanced approach to meta-analysis, a three-level meta-analytic model, that allows for more precise effect size estimates compared to more traditional meta-analysis techniques. A systematic review and search of published and grey literature identified 30 relevant studies evaluating 34 unique interventions, for a total of 69 different effect sizes. An overall effect size was estimated to assess for the general effectiveness of ITPs on participant recidivism, followed by moder…
abstract: Nationally, it is estimated that over 17 million people experience victimization by an intimate partner every year. Additionally, individuals who perpetuate intimate partner violence (IPV) often have high rates of re-offending, potentially as high as 60%. IPV Treatment Programs (ITPs) are interventions designed to reduce recidivism among intimate partner violent individuals by changing their thinking and behaviors, ultimately leading to increased victim safety. Although there is significant evidence to suggest that correctional treatment programs can reduce re-offending, the literature on ITPs is less clear about their effectiveness in reducing recidivism among participants. Furthermore, while other correctional interventions have taken more active steps towards adhering to the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) framework, ITPs have done so in a more limited manner. The conflicting research regarding ITP effectiveness make it an ideal topic to be assessed with meta-analytic methods. The current dissertation relied on a meta-analytic approach to answer the following research questions: 1) Do ITPs reduce recidivism among participants? 2) Does ITP effectiveness vary by adherence to RNR? and 3) Do other factors (associated with study, methodological, intervention, or outcome variables) explain variation in ITP effectiveness? This dissertation is among the first to evaluate whether adherence to the RNR model is associated with increased ITP effectiveness. Additionally, the current dissertation relied on an advanced approach to meta-analysis, a three-level meta-analytic model, that allows for more precise effect size estimates compared to more traditional meta-analysis techniques. A systematic review and search of published and grey literature identified 30 relevant studies evaluating 34 unique interventions, for a total of 69 different effect sizes. An overall effect size was estimated to assess for the general effectiveness of ITPs on participant recidivism, followed by moder…
author: Fanarraga, Irina
keywords: Criminology, Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Intimate partner violence, meta-analysis, effective programming, treatment programs, Risk Need Responsivity
date published: 2025-02-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:58:49Z
provider: City University of New York - Graduate Center
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York