Fatherhood Programs and Intimate Partner Violence Research for the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network

There are several reasons that programs serving fathers should be concerned with intimate partner violence (IPV). The widespread nature of the problem makes it a logical topic for fatherhood programs to cover when dealing with parental conflict. Evidence suggests that men who have engaged in IPV may have significant parenting difficulties that need to be addressed and fatherhood
programs offer a forum in which to do this. Fatherhood programs that try to involve mothers need to be aware of IPV before beginning to work with mothers or with couples. The goal of being a positive, engaged father may motivate men to work on issues of partner violence. Fatherhood programs can work with IPV treatment programs to help fathers understand how they can be a positive influence on their children. This paper explores these issues, but it begins with a brief overview of what constitutes IPV and the magnitude of the problem before concluding with a discussion of how to identify IPV.