Employment status and recidivism after relationship violence intervention.

Objective: The goals of the present study were to determine whether employment status at program intake predicts postprogram recidivism for partner violent men enrolled in a domestic abuser intervention program (AIP), and, if so, to examine predictions from several theoretical accounts that may help explain this association. Method: Participants were 315 men from a community-based AIP who completed intake assessments that included employment status and measures of motivation to change, relationship problems, relationship adjustment, substance use, and mental health difficulties. Recidivism during the 2 years after expected completion of services was defined as new legal involvements in three categories: partner violence (PV), general violence (GV), and other protection order involvement (OPOI). Results: In contrast to participants with full-time employment, those who were not employed full time were over four times more likely to have PV and GV recidivism, and twice as likely to have OPOI recidivism. They also had significantly higher rates of mental health challenges and drug use. Conclusions: The findings suggest that integrating employment support into AIP treatment may decrease the likelihood of recidivism, and that employment support may be most effective if accompanied by services for substance use and mental health difficulties.