Gender Differences in Outcomes of a Healthy Relationships Program to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

The purpose was to examine gender differences in the effectiveness of the Within My Reach healthy relationships education program that is an alternative approach to violence prevention. The program was provided to 850 adults in a community-based setting. Baseline, immediate post and six-month follow-up data were collected. There were similar levels of learning, confidence, and communication-and-conflict resolution skill improvement for men and women. Women reported higher levels of satisfaction with the program. Mixed-gender groups reported statistically significant reductions in violence at six-month follow-up. All male groups reported significant increases in violence. Implications are discussed.

Keywords:

• IPV
• gender
• relationship education program

Notes on contributors

Becky F. Antle, PhD, MSSW, is a professor and university scholar at the Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville. She is the director of the Center for Family and Community Well-Being and an evaluator on several federal grants on topics such as teen pregnancy prevention, organizational change and trauma issues in child welfare, as well as evidence-based practices for trauma and depression.

Anita P. Barbee, PhD, MSSW, is a professor and distinguished university scholar at the Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville. She studies relationship initiation, social support processes, and relationship education interventions to prevent intimate partner violence and teen pregnancy. She is currently the president of the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) and serves on such editorial boards as Personal Relationships, Families in Society, and Journal of Public Child Welfare.

Jesse Owen, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology at Denver University. His research focuses on psychotherapy processes and outcomes as well as romantic relationships. He is currently an associate editor for two APA journals (Psychotherapy and Journal of Counseling Psychology) and another top-tier journal (Archives of Sexual Behavior).

Erin E. Ness, PhD, MSSW, is clinic director at East Carolina University Family Therapy Clinic. Her research interests include family relationships, intimate partner violence, and child well-being.

Amanda Minogue is a master's student in social work at the Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville. Her research interests include at-risk youth, implementation science, and issues of social justice.

Notes

1 The specific results of these pre- to post-WMR changes in relational outcomes are reported in Antle et al. (2013) and Antle et al. (2011).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Office for Financial Assistance under Grant number 90FE0002.