‘Everybody Else in That Room’: support dilemmas and benefits of supportive communication in batterer intervention

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the current study was to explore the benefits and dilemmas of supportive communication within BIPs and how dilemmas influence participants’ ability to access support resources and benefit from educational content. Specifically, this study examines competing goals, strategies, and interpretations of supportive communication within a BIP group located in the midwestern United States, targeting heterosexually-identifying DV perpetrators. Results suggest men encounter several support dilemmas that must be overcome to gain access to BIP group benefits. Specifically, openness to seeking and receiving support in BIPs involves threats of negative evaluation, threats to identity, and loss of control. Additionally, the artificiality of the BIP group conditions creates challenges for men once they leave and support resources are reduced in their existing social networks. This study makes a theoretical contribution by extending the theory of support dilemmas [Albrecht, T. L., & Adelman, M. B. (1987). Communicating social support. Sage.] to illuminate the unique challenges that BIPs present, several of which are specific to norms of masculinity. Practical applications are recommended to BIP practitioners with the aim to increase the efficacy of BIP curricular delivery and program outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Support dilemmas
• supportive communication
• support groups
• batterer intervention
• domestic violence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).