An Investigation into The Men's Group at St. Pius V Parish in Chicago: Intervening to Stop Intimate Partner Violence-Does it work?

“Religious organizations are uniquely positioned to help end intimate partner violence (IPV). Unfortunately, most churches or parishes do not have an IPV ministry. Perhaps this would change if they had an evidence-based blueprint for guidance. ”

Team Members/Contributors

Maxine Davis The University of Texas at Arlington Contact Me

About this project grant for researchers

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious social problem that impacts every community. IPV is the greatest single cause of injury to women in the U.S.--more than robberies, rapes, and auto crashes combined. The FBI estimates that a woman is beaten every 15 seconds. National data also reveal that 25% of women and 10% of men will experience IPV in their lifetime. Those experiencing or using violence and abuse often ask their churches for help. Yet, most clergy have not received IPV training, and too few churches in North America have IPV ministries. Furthermore, a full evaluation of a large parish-based IPV ministry helping men end violence has not been conducted. We need data-driven solutions for churches/parishes to follow. This project builds upon previously conducted research, and advances the church by drawing upon new survey data collected from the men’s group (TMG) of the St. Pius V HOPE program, a parish-based IPV ministry in Chicago, IL. We will simultaneously survey participants of TMG at St. Pius V and men who join a secular program for IPV, administered through a typical social service agency. Participant survey data will be collected both before men join the respective groups and again three months later. Data from the two groups will be compared to each other, and the findings will provide insight into the impact of TMG at St. Pius V. It is important to examine the impact of parish-based programming aimed towards violence prevention, so that we learn, whether for examining areas for adjustment, or to facilitate broader implementation.