Care of perpetrators of repeat family violence: An integrative literature review

Abstract

Objectives: Identifying the main articles in scientific literature on care of perpetrators of repeat family violence and presenting the most relevant successful experiences. Methods: Integrative literature review consisting of a survey for articles published from 2008 to 2017 indexed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SciELO. Results: Out of the 1,496 identified articles, 15 met all inclusion criteria. After analysis of all studies included, two categories were elaborated: intervening factors for intra-familial violence and successful measures for the treatment or rehabilitation of perpetrators of family violence. Conclusion: Literature on the topic is scarce in emerging countries. Aspects such as intergenerational patterns and experience of violence in childhood may be intervening factors for aggressive family behavior. Mindfulness meditation, individual counseling, improvement in sleep pattern, participation in prevention programs, and forms of psychotherapy were shown to be successful measures for the care of perpetrators.