A Novel Intervention for System-Involved Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: Changes in Parenting

Purpose: A growing subpopulation of intimate partner violence (IPV) victims comprises mothers who have been mandated to services by either the court system or child protective services (CPS). Two human service agencies in the United States developed a 13-week novel intervention to address these women. All participants were assigned to the intervention, which featured group psychoeducation sessions, social events, and childcare. Method: This quasi-experimental study gathered preliminary evidence regarding whether the intervention promoted participants’ (N = 70) parenting practices. Specifically, growth curve analyses using hierarchical linear modeling examined outcomes at completion (3 months) and follow-up (6 months). Results: Participants reported statistically significant improvements on key parenting practices at both postintervention time points. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support for engaging court- and CPS-involved female IPV survivors in specialized, group-based interventions such as that investigated herein. Future research should investigate similar programs using larger samples and more robust designs.