Intimate partner violence: a longitudinal study on the effect of intervention program on male perpetrators’ psychological characteristics.

Objectives: To examine the association between impulsivity, alexithymia and depression and the perpetration of intimate partner violence. Our initial study of 56 male perpetrators showed domestic violence was associated with a high level of alexithymia and depression. To determine if reductions were noted at the end of intervention program, this study examined longitudinal data.
Method: Twenty-four male offenders (voluntarily or judicialized) completed questionnaires and were assessed in a structured clinical interview to assess emotional distress, impulsive behavior and alexithymia, before and at the end of their therapeutic program.
Results: Findings showed both alexithymia and depression were reduced after the therapeutic program. Analyses showed male offenders reported less difficulty to express their emotions and less depressive feelings at the end of their intervention program, this effect was especially significant for volunteer men. However, we observed a surprising increase of impulsivity for all participants after the therapeutic program.
Conclusion: Our findings suggested a strong link between alexithymia and domestic violence and showed the positive effect of specific therapeutic interventions on alexithymia and depression. Some hypotheses may explain the surprising increase of impulsivity after the therapeutic program. Among others, we pointed out the fact that impulsivity was self-reported and that with the decrease of alexithymia, participants may have a better awareness of themselves and of their behavior and thus considered themselves more impulsive.