Impact on callers to a men's domestic violence helpline

Violence against women by their male partners is an important public health problem in both developed and developing countries. There are major consequences for the physical and mental health of the women and for children and other family members. The Western Australian Freedom From Fear campaign aims to reduce women’s (and children’s) fear by encouraging perpetrators and potential perpetrators to voluntarily attend counselling programs. The Men’s Domestic Violence Help Line (MDVHL) forms a key component of the Freedom From Fear campaign. The primary aim of the helpline counsellors is to refer qualified callers into government-funded counselling programs provided by private-sector organisations in various locations throughout the State. Although results vary, counselling programs have been found to be effective in reducing violence. While the Freedom From Fear campaign has been successful in attracting violent and potentially violent men to call the MDVHL and accept a referral into counselling, little is known about the impact of the telephone contact per se. This is an important issue as many men who call the MDVHL do not accept a referral, and many who do accept a referral do not present for the counselling. We obtained interviews with 49 men who had called the MDVHL. Of these, 38 had attended an individual or group counselling session since their telephone contact; 11 had not. Because of ethical and professional issues, the interviewing had to be conducted by the counsellors; hence, the potential for demand factors to influence respondents’ answers. The men were first asked an open-ended question: “Have there been any changes yet in your thinking or behaviour as a result of attending these counselling sessions (n=38) or calling the Helpline (n=11)?” All but one of the 38 men who had attended counselling claimed that there had been changes in their thinking or behaviour as a result of their counselling. The most frequently reported changes (see Table 1) related to: better communication with their partner; greater understanding of their own behaviour and the effect on their partner; experiencing less anger or being more able to control their anger; and using various strategies taught in the counselling. The fact that these comments were in Table 1: “Have there been any changes yet in your thinking or behaviour as a result of attending these counselling sessions?”. Base: Respondents who had n % attended counselling (n=38) Better communication/listen more/ 9 24 more open Using various strategies (e.g. time out) 8 21 More control of behaviour 8 21 More aware of effect on partner/ 7 18 consequences Thinks before acting 6 16 More calm/relaxed 5 13 More respect (for partner) 5 13 Better understanding of problem/ 4 10 view differently More confident/resolved in self 4 10 More aware of what says and does 3 8 Less anger/rage 2 5 Less abusive/threatening 2 5 Trying to think positively 2 5 More aware of domestic violence 1 3 issues in general Total a a