Motivational strategies are among the most promising approaches to improve the effectiveness of batterer intervention programs (BIPs). An individualized motivational plan (IMP) is one of these motivational strategies. The present study aimed to explore whether adding an IMP to a standard BIP improved the participant-facilitator working alliance and participants’ protherapeutic behaviors. To this end a randomized controlled trial was conducted. One hundred fifty-three men convicted of intimate partner violence were randomly assigned to either a standard BIP (control condition, n = 79) or a standard BIP plus IMP (experimental condition, n = 74). Working alliance (i.e., general working alliance, agreement, and bond) was assessed with the Working Alliance Inventory-Observer, short version. Protherapeutic behaviors (i.e., assumption of responsibility, participant role behavior, and group value) were assessed with the Observational Coding of Protherapeutic Group Behavior. Both working alliance and protherapeutic behaviors were assessed by an external observer early and late in intervention. Our results showed that both general working alliance and agreement and bond, were significantly higher in the standard BIP plus IMP intervention condition, both early and late in intervention. All protherapeutic behaviors were significantly higher in the standard BIP plus IMP early in intervention, and also late in intervention for assumption of responsibility and group value. Our findings have important practical implications as our results clearly showed that a motivational strategy tool such as the IMP improves key intervention processes (i.e., working alliance and protherapeutic behaviors) in BIPs, therefore increasing their effectiveness.

中文翻译：

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动机策略，工作联盟和殴打者干预计划中的治疗行为：随机对照试验。

动机策略是提高击球手干预计划（BIP）有效性的最有前途的方法之一。个性化的激励计划（IMP）是这些激励策略之一。本研究旨在探讨在标准BIP中添加IMP能否改善参与者-促进者工作联盟和参与者的治疗行为。为此，进行了一项随机对照试验。被判犯有亲密伴侣暴力行为的153名男性被随机分配到标准BIP（对照条件，n = 79）或标准BIP加IMP（实验条件，n = 74）。工作联盟（即一般工作联盟，协议和保证金）使用工作联盟库存观察员（简短版本）进行了评估。前治疗行为（即承担责任，参与者角色行为和小组价值）通过治疗小组行为的观察性编码进行评估。在干预的早期和后期，外部观察员评估了工作联盟和治疗行为。我们的结果表明，在标准BIP加上IMP干预条件下，无论是早期干预还是后期干预，一般的工作联盟以及协议和担保都明显更高。标准BIP和IMP在干预的早期，干预的后期以及对责任和小组价值的假设方面，所有的治疗行为均明显高于标准BIP和IMP。我们的发现具有重要的实际意义，因为我们的结果清楚地表明，诸如IMP的激励策略工具可改善BIP中的关键干预过程（即，工作联盟和治疗行为），