Research presents favorable results of psychological intervention with women victims of intimate partner violence

By Paolla Magioni Santini and Lúcia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Williams, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Departamento de Psicologia, Laboratório de Análise e Prevenção da Violência

Researchers from the Laboratório de Análise e Prevenção da Violência (LAPREV, Laboratory of Violence Analysis and Prevention), associated with the Departamento de Psicologia (Department of Psychology) of Universidade Federal de São Carlos (Federal University of São Carlos), in São Paulo State, Brazil, have identified favorable results of the implementation of a psychological intervention program entitled “Projeto Parceria” (“Partnership Project”). The program was developed by scholars from the same laboratory with the goal of teaching parenting skills to women with a history of intimate partner violence in order to prevent behavior problems in their children. The intervention consists of two units with corresponding manuals: (I) one to analyze the effects of violence and coping techniques to face such effects, and (II) a guide to teach positive parenting. When performing the intervention with nine women victims of violence, the researchers sought to evaluate three different procedures used in its application: (a) Unit I followed by Unit II; (b) Unit II followed by Unit I; and (c) Units I and II presented simultaneously. The results, published in the journal Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), indicated that the three types of procedure led to positive effects, but the simultaneous procedure showed higher concentration of significant positive effects compared to others. The authors argue that mothers victims of violence have simultaneous difficulties in both areas: (a) psychosocial problems as a result of the intimate partner violence, and (b) difficulties in raising their children; thus possibly the concentration of positive results in a simultaneous approach. Therefore, a program that addresses the referred procedure may be replicated with chances of success in other institutions to support women victimized by intimate partner violence, with the potential of becoming future public policy.The research was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, São Paulo Research Foundation), Process n° 2008/07997-2.

To read the article, access it

SANTINI, P.M. and WILLIAMS, L.C.A. Effects of procedures to maximize well-being and parental competence in victimized women. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas). 2016, vol. 33, nº 4, pp. 711-721. [viewed 17^th October 2016]. ISSN: 1982-0275. DOI: 10.1590/1982-02752016000400014. Available from: http://ref.scielo.org/gf8bn8

External link

Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas) – ESTPSI: <http://www.scielo.br/estpsi>