Intimate partner violence and group therapy: The voices of Latino men

Efficacy of group treatment for intimate partner violence (IPV) has been the subject of ongoing debate and has limited research depth with respect to specific populations of Latino men. The increasing Latino population of the United States provides a challenge for mental health practitioners who wish to deliver culturally informed clinical interventions. This study attempts to understand the experiences of Spanish speaking Latino men of Mexican origin, who are participating in mandated group treatment for IPV to provide insight for clinicians working with this population. A qualitative phenomenological approach was utilized to gather data from 10 men who identified as Mexican, Mexican/American, or Latino. The data revealed some key themes including: positive impact of group treatment, IPV is a spectrum of behaviors, impact of gender roles stress on IPV, duality within the construct of Latino masculinity, influence of marital dynamics on IPV, and that IPV strains parent-child relationships. Clinical recommendations are made for therapists to reserve individual biases, utilize structured psycho educational approaches, discuss masculinity construct, and facilitate parenting skills education in group treatment with Latino men. Discussions are also formulated surrounding the challenges and benefits of utilizing qualitative research designs with Latino populations to understand the complexities of constructs such as masculinity, IPV, and machismo