1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The goal of this study is to better understand the therapy process in a group for abusive men. It aims to identify the relative importance of the TFs [therapeutic factors] in the dynamic of groups for abusive men at the beginning of the group therapy process. […] A second question addressed in this study was how TFs may be related to members’ characteristics, particularly those associated with perseverance in therapy […].» (p. 116)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«We hypothesized that formation, universality, hope, and cohesion will be the most valued factors by abusive spouses at the beginning of the group process.» (p. 116)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The data were gathered from 71 participants in three francophone agencies for abusive men in the province of Québec, Canada.» (p. 116)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Whatever the case, these findings indicate that at the beginning of a group process, abusive men place greater importance on cognitive aspects that correspond to a process of self-understanding and awareness of their problem, whereas the interactive and emotional aspects of the group experience appear less significant. The findings confirm the importance of the educational aspect for abusive men, particularly at the beginning of the therapeutic process. Even though participants must acknowledge that they have a problem with violence before they begin a therapeutic process, interventions that aim to ground this awareness and develop an understanding of the problem could help to increase perseverance in the first meetings. These findings support current understandings of the initial stages of group development in which formation, universality, and hope are important factors for integrating into the group, for starting therapy, and for getting a sense of its possible benefits. The issue of high dropout rates during the first meetings of therapy groups for men who batter motivated an interest in studying TFs at the beginning of a group process.» (p. 130)