Intimate partner violence, fatherhood, and co-parenting of men in residential substance misuse treatment

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of co-parenting, childhood experiences, and satisfaction with fathering in a sample of men in a long-term residential drug rehabilitation program.

A paper and pencil survey was completed by 128 men between the ages of 18 and 68 (M age=30.42 years) in a court ordered residential rehabilitation center for drug misuse. Of the 128 respondents, 40.625 percent (n=52) were fathers and completed a longer survey to assess their co-parenting relationships.

The percentage of men with positive role models did not differ between the fathers and non-fathers, with 40.4 percent of fathers having had a positive role model growing up, χ²(1, n=127)=0.54, p=0.816. Fathers were more likely to report witnessing IPV between their parents during childhood than non-fathers, χ²(1, n=125)=4.7888, p=0.029. Linear regression models examining factors associated with co-parenting agreement and exposure to conflict were significant, but witnessing IPV as a child was the only significant individual predictor.

Exposure to IPV in childhood was a common experience for fathers in residential treatment for substance misuse. Fathers reported significant problems in their co-parenting relationships indicating a need for fatherhood and co-parenting focused services available within residential treatment programs.

There is little research about fathers with co-occurring histories of substance misuse and IPV in residential treatment. This paper is the first to examine co-parenting in this specific population.