What motivates men to address their use of abusive behaviour within intimate relationships and what elements of behaviour change programmes are influe

Domestic abuse (DA) is experienced by one in three women worldwide; in Scotland every nine minutes police respond to a call about domestic abuse (Police Professional, 2023). Statistics highlight that overwhelmingly domestic abuse is perpetuated by men and experienced by women and as such, in order to keep women and children safe, we need effective interventions that focus on men addressing their abusive behaviour.

Research on the effectiveness of DA perpetrator intervention programmes often measure success through completion of programmes and reduction in convictions relating to DA within a specific time frame (Pease, 2020; Nicole and Westmarland, 2016; Mullender and Burton, 2000). Such measures of success can be somewhat limited due to the under reporting and prosecution of DA offences, and in the difficulty in identifying some forms of abuse.

There is a significant gap in the literature on what initially motivates men to address their abusive behaviour and continue to address it after completion of such programmes (Devany and Lazenbatt, 2016). The findings from this research will fill a gap in being able to meaningfully measure the efficacy of DA programmes. In this study, I will examine how intervention programmes motivate men to change their abusive behaviour and sustain this change.

Findings from the research will identify the motivations for men, external and internal, that can prompt and promote sustained behavioural change, and how DA perpetrator programmes can enable or hinder these motivations. This will not only address the literature gap in this field, but also has the potential to shape the approach and methods used in interventions in DA prevention programmes across the world.

For this study, I will interview participants undertaking the Caledonian Men's Programme, which is a perpetrator programme that is available in the majority of Local Authorities in Scotland. As the head of the Caledonian System Training Team, I have positive relationships with the local authorities providing the programme and a deep understanding of the content of the programme to support me undertaking this project.

I will secure permissions and ethical clearance to undertake the study as a PhD student, separate from my employment, although I will be able to draw on the social capital I have from my current role to negotiate research access.