Collaborating Systems at the Intersection of Substance Abuse and Family Violence

Co-occurrence of substance abuse and family violence is in the range of 50% of cases. Collaboration across systems, including law enforcement, legal/courts, child protective services, DV advocates, mental health, and substance abuse treatment services, is needed to best serve the needs of families impacted by these intersecting issues. This webinar reviews the most current data on co-occurrence rates, review engagement strategies and provides an overview of current best practice and evidence based intervention approaches to working with these families

Commentary: Factors Predicting Family Court Decisions in High-Conflict Divorce

Factors that predict custody and visitation decisions are an important area of research, especially in the context of high-conflict divorce. In these cases, youths are at significantly higher risk for exposure to ongoing conflict, violence, and triangulation in their parents\u27 disputes. What variables courts and evaluation clinics use to make custody decisions and whether they are the most salient requires further study. The work by Raub and colleagues in this issue extends our understanding of important factors considered by the courts and custody evaluators in high-conflict divorce and points to directions for future research in this area. Custody and visitation decisions in the context of high-conflict divorce are areas much in need of research. As Raub and colleagues1 describe in their current study, there is ample evidence that high levels of conflict and aggression between parents before, during, and after divorce have significant impact on the psychological functioning and development of children.2,–,4 Examination of factors used by custody evaluators and the courts to make custody and visitation decisions is imperative for understanding what factors are considered and ascertaining whether these factors are the most appropriate. The current paper adds to the literature in important ways by looking at positive communication between parents, a crucial factor that is often ignored. With an increased focus on joint custody and trying to facilitate co-parenting in divorced families, parents\u27 capacities to communicate with one another are crucial. This aspect of the study was a unique contribution. The authors also highlighted gaps in our knowledge and the significant work that is needed to understand whether the factors that evaluators and judges use to make custody determinations are appropriate and are given the correct weight in the decision-making process

Collaborating Systems at the Intersection of Substance Abuse and Family Violence

Co-occurrence of substance abuse and family violence is in the range of 50% of cases. Collaboration across systems, including law enforcement, legal/courts, child protective services, DV advocates, mental health, and substance abuse treatment services, is needed to best serve the needs of families impacted by these intersecting issues. This webinar reviews the most current data on co-occurrence rates, review engagement strategies and provides an overview of current best practice and evidence based intervention approaches to working with these families

Fathers for Change: A New Approach to Working with Fathers Who Perpetrate Intimate Partner Violence

Legal and social service systems rarely acknowledge the status of men as fathers in the conceptualization and delivery of interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). Large percentages of men who are arrested and mandated to intervention programs for IPV are fathers who continue to live with or have consistent contact with their young children despite aggression and substance use. There are currently no evidence-based treatments that address co-morbid substance abuse and domestic violence perpetration with emphasis on paternal parenting for fathers. This paper will describe the components of a new intervention, Fathers for Change, which addresses the co-morbidity of substance abuse, domestic violence, and poor parenting for fathers of young children. Fathers for Change is unique in its focus on the paternal role throughout treatment. A case example and initial feasibility of the intervention will be described to provide an understanding of the key ingredients and the gap this intervention could fill in the field once tested in efficacy trials

Fathers for Change: A New Approach to Working with Fathers Who Perpetrate Intimate Partner Violence

Legal and social service systems rarely acknowledge the status of men as fathers in the conceptualization and delivery of interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). Large percentages of men who are arrested and mandated to intervention programs for IPV are fathers who continue to live with or have consistent contact with their young children despite aggression and substance use. There are currently no evidence-based treatments that address co-morbid substance abuse and domestic violence perpetration with emphasis on paternal parenting for fathers. This paper will describe the components of a new intervention, Fathers for Change, which addresses the co-morbidity of substance abuse, domestic violence, and poor parenting for fathers of young children. Fathers for Change is unique in its focus on the paternal role throughout treatment. A case example and initial feasibility of the intervention will be described to provide an understanding of the key ingredients and the gap this intervention could fill in the field once tested in efficacy trials

Commentary: Factors Predicting Family Court Decisions in High-Conflict Divorce

Factors that predict custody and visitation decisions are an important area of research, especially in the context of high-conflict divorce. In these cases, youths are at significantly higher risk for exposure to ongoing conflict, violence, and triangulation in their parents\u27 disputes. What variables courts and evaluation clinics use to make custody decisions and whether they are the most salient requires further study. The work by Raub and colleagues in this issue extends our understanding of important factors considered by the courts and custody evaluators in high-conflict divorce and points to directions for future research in this area. Custody and visitation decisions in the context of high-conflict divorce are areas much in need of research. As Raub and colleagues1 describe in their current study, there is ample evidence that high levels of conflict and aggression between parents before, during, and after divorce have significant impact on the psychological functioning and development of children.2,–,4 Examination of factors used by custody evaluators and the courts to make custody and visitation decisions is imperative for understanding what factors are considered and ascertaining whether these factors are the most appropriate. The current paper adds to the literature in important ways by looking at positive communication between parents, a crucial factor that is often ignored. With an increased focus on joint custody and trying to facilitate co-parenting in divorced families, parents\u27 capacities to communicate with one another are crucial. This aspect of the study was a unique contribution. The authors also highlighted gaps in our knowledge and the significant work that is needed to understand whether the factors that evaluators and judges use to make custody determinations are appropriate and are given the correct weight in the decision-making process

Fatherhood and Intimate Partner Violence: Bringing the Parenting Role into Intervention Strategies

A large percentage of men who perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) are fathers who continue to live with or have visitation with their children. Yet, providers rarely consider that fathers who perpetrate IPV may benefit from a parent-child focused intervention. Therapeutic work with men, who perpetrate IPV, especially with their children, is complex with issues of child safety taking precedence. This article is meant to provide: 1) a rationale for considering father-child intervention in the context of IPV; 2) specific strategies for assessment; 3) guidelines for determining if a father is appropriate for such intervention; and 4) a review of treatment approaches that have been developed that may assist clinicians in work with this population

Affective Awareness in Parenting of Fathers with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

Purpose: Few studies have examined the parenting of fathers with co-occurring Substance Abuse (SA) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) problems. None have specifically interviewed men with these co-occurring issues using qualitative methods about their reflective functioning in relation to their children. This qualitative study was designed to provide evidence of the reflective capacity of fathers with co-occurring SA and IPV. Approach: To assess this, men were asked to describe examples of negative emotions they experienced as parents and how they perceived their children responded to those emotions. Forty fathers with co-occurring SA and IPV were interviewed using the Revised Parent Development Interview. Interviews were coded for reflective functioning and for themes that emerged related to angry and guilty feelings these fathers experienced as parents. Findings: Overall, fathers in the sample had a very limited capacity to think about the thoughts and feelings of their children. The desire to spend more time with their child and an inability to provide financially were two common themes. Anger toward the child’s mother for not providing adequate care and a focus on shielding the child from his anger were also reported frequently. Fathers did not report feelings of guilt related to their substance use or aggression in their relationships. Originality: This paper is one of the first to explore reflective functioning of fathers with co-occurring IPV and SA. These findings are discussed in relation to their implications for intervention with fathers with co-occurring SA and IPV issues

Hostility and Substance Use in Relation to Intimate Partner Violence and Parenting Among Fathers

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health and economic problem, which also increases the risks for child maltreatment. One attribute that may contribute to both IPV and poor parenting is hostility. Moreover, the link between hostility and these outcomes may be mediated by substance use, such that more hostile individuals are at greater risk for using drugs and alcohol, leading them to engage in more aggressive and rejecting behavior toward their partners and children. We tested this possibility in sample of 132 fathers. Additionally, we explored whether hostility and substance use had interactive effects on IPV and parenting by examining moderated-mediation models. The results show that substance use mediated the relationship between hostility and all IPV and parenting outcomes. Furthermore, this mediated relationship was moderated by substance use level for parenting outcomes, but not IPV. In the case of parenting, the mediated path from hostility to aggressive and rejecting parenting only occurred for those high in substance use. Limitations and implications for prevention and treatment of IPV and aggressive and rejecting parenting are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 41:205–213, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc