Interventions directed at men for preventing intimate partner violence: a systematic review protocol

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Criminology
• Psychology

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue with severe consequences for women's physical, psychological, and reproductive health.
• Interventions targeting male perpetrators of IPV have increased, yet evidence-based research on their effectiveness is limited.
• A critical need exists for identifying key characteristics of successful interventions designed to reduce or prevent male perpetration of IPV.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and identify interventions specifically targeting males as perpetrators of intimate partner violence.
• To determine which interventions have proven effective in preventing or reducing male perpetration of IPV against female partners.
• To synthesize evidence on the characteristics of effective interventions for male perpetrators of IPV.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of multiple electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Global Health, Gender Watch, Web of Science, SCOPUS) will be conducted.
• Inclusion criteria encompass randomized controlled trials, non-randomized intervention studies, and relevant unpublished literature demonstrating a direction of effect.
• Primary outcomes include changes in male perpetrators' behavior and knowledge regarding IPV impact, and women's experiences of IPV. Narrative synthesis and potential meta-analysis will be employed.

Main Results:

• This section will present synthesized evidence on interventions targeting males to reduce or prevent their perpetration of intimate partner violence.
• Key characteristics of interventions proven effective, based on evidence synthesis and certainty of findings, will be detailed.
• The review will highlight the effectiveness of different intervention strategies in reducing IPV perpetration by males.

Conclusions:

• The review will provide synthesized evidence on effective interventions for males to reduce or prevent intimate partner violence.
• Findings will inform practice by outlining key characteristics of successful interventions and the certainty of the evidence.
• Recommendations for future research directions in the field of male-focused IPV prevention will be considered.