Intervention program dropout among perpetrators of intimate partner violence: a meta-analysis of correlated variables

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Dropout in perpetrator intervention programs (PIPs) is extensively documented in the literature, yet findings across various studies exhibit global inconsistency. This meta-analysis aimed to identify dropout rates among individuals attending PIPs and examine sociodemographic, violence-related, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and external variables related to dropout. A search was conducted across six databases, encompassing studies published between 2010 and 2022 in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Thirty manuscripts, comprising data from 31 independent samples, were included. Dropout rates varied from 9% to 67%. Bivariate analysis results indicated that younger age (OR=0.69), non-White ethnicity (OR=1.54), unemployment (OR=1.78), offender typology other than family only (OR=2.45), substance abuse (OR=1.78), presenting a personality disorder (OR=1.21), engaging in problematic leisure activities (OR=1.28), possessing a greater criminal history (OR=1.47), and experiencing more adversity in childhood (OR=1.44) were significantly correlated with dropout. Additionally, the inclusion of motivational strategies in treatment (OR=0.44) significantly decreased the likelihood of dropout. Results from multivariate analyses revealed that younger age (OR=0.63), presenting a personality disorder (OR=1.73), and experiencing more adversity in childhood (OR=2.16) were significantly associated with dropout. Notably, intimate partner violence characteristics established a significant negative relation with dropout (OR=0.59). Findings indicate that variables associated with dropout align with those related to general and intimate partner violence recidivism, suggesting that individuals requiring more intensive intervention are those who derive less benefit from it.
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was conducted at HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Lab, Lusófona University, and supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the grant UIDB/05380/2020.
This study was also partially conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (UIDB/PSI/01662/2020).