Abstract
As domestic violence becomes a mounting problem, research is beginning to examine the characteristics of offenders and the possible factors that precipitate violence. Moreover, as batterers are now sentenced to 52 weeks of group therapy in the state of California, it is necessary to understand how such personality factors and self-perceptions change over the course of treatment, as this may pose several clinical implications regarding treatment efficacy and the reduction of recidivism. The present study examined whether self-esteem, narcissism, and self-deception change over time as domestic violence offenders attend a court-mandated 52-week group treatment program. This study utilized the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Self-Deception Questionnaire, and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory in order to measure the variables of interest. Bivariate correlations revealed that narcissism was the only factor significantly associated with the amount of time an offender had attended treatment; however, all three variables (i.e., narcissism, self-esteem, and self-deception) were significantly correlated with one another. A path analysis was conducted to assess the simultaneous relationships between the variables of interest and the amount of time an offender spent in treatment. It was determined that the relationship between weeks in treatment and self-deception was mediated by narcissism, and, simultaneously, narcissism's relationship with self-deception was further mediated by self-esteem. The present study offers several implications for both future research and clinical considerations when working with domestic violence offenders mandated to 52 weeks of group treatment.