Group intervention for intimate partner violence among female spouses of men with alcohol dependence syndrome: An open-label, single-group study.

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem. Alcohol dependence and IPV are interconnected. Group intervention may promote recovery from IPV.

Aim: To examine the outcomes of group intervention for female spouses of men with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) who experienced IPV.

Methods: An open-label, single-group quasiexperimental study was conducted with 44 women who experienced intimate partner violence. The study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital. The group interventions consisted of daily one-hour sessions over six days, addressing trauma related to IPV, psychoeducation, the need for treatment adherence, skills to prevent IPV, safety plans, self-care, resource mapping, and networking. A Composite Abuse Scale shorter version was used for screening for IPV. Psychological stress, wellbeing, social support, and help-seeking behavior scales were assessed before and after one month of the group intervention. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests was used to analyze the data.

Results: The mean age of IPV survivors was 34 years (±7). All the participants experienced physical, psychological, and sexual forms of IPV. post-test revealed a significant reduction in violence frequency (z = -4.938, p < 0.001), perceived stress (z = -4.776, p < 0.001), improved social support (z = -2.079, p = 0.038), help-seeking behavior (z = -3.634, p < 0.001), and psychological wellbeing (z = -4.759, p < 0.001) after the group intervention.

Conclusion: Group intervention reduces the frequency of IPV and stress levels and enhances help-seeking behavior, psychological wellbeing, and social support among IPV survivors.