“Violence against women by male partners remains a widespread and deeply entrenched issue,” says Dr Modderman. “This research sought to understand how to improve the way we hold these men accountable and to improve our knowledge about voluntary programs for men who use violence.”
The study found that while voluntary programs show promise – particularly in improving emotional regulation, accountability and father-child relationships – their long-term effectiveness remains unclear.
“This is largely due to limited follow-up data, high dropout rates and inconsistent measures of meaningful change,” explains Dr Modderman.
The review, undertaken in collaboration with the Centre Against Violence, also revealed a lack of culturally responsive, gender-transformative and regionally adaptable models, with almost no evidence tailored to rural or regional Australian contexts.
“By bringing these gaps to the forefront, this work advances the field by demonstrating the need for context-specific and culturally grounded coherent approaches.”
“The review highlights the need for more effective, culturally responsive, and locally adapted interventions. It also demonstrates the importance of long-term evaluation and community-embedded designs to achieve sustainable change.”
