Alcohol and Other Drugs Are Key Causal Agents of Violence

Topics of conflict and patterns of aggression in romantic relationships

“…These findings compliment the work of other researchers who have found that couples use aggression as a way to deal with feeling out of control (Lejeune & Follette, 1994;Stamp & Sabourin, 1995) or as a need to establish power within the relationship (Johnson, 1995;Sheffield, 1987). It is also important to underscore the frequency in which alcohol and drugs were found to be related to the use of aggression, corroborating other research (Flanzer, 1993;Weaver, Kilpatrick, Resnick, Best, & Saunders, 1997).…”

Intimate partner violence and sexual coercion among pregnant women in India: Relationship with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder

“…For example, Kumar et al (2005) reported that physically violent behaviors (e.g., 'slap,' 'hit,' 'kick,' or 'beat') doubled the relative risk of poorer mental health of abused women compared with women who had not reported any IPV. As in earlier studies (McCauley et al, 1995;Flanzer, 1993), Kumar et al also observed that women who (a) experienced dowry harassment or harsh physical punishment during childhood, (b) witnessed their father beating their mother, (c) whose husbands regularly consumed alcohol, and (d) experienced physical violence at home were at increased risk of poor mental health. High school education for both the woman and husband and more social support served as protective factors.…”

Bidirectional, Unidirectional, and Nonviolence: A Comparison of the Predictors Among Partnered Young Adults

“…Finally, although individuals who drink more alcohol are at higher risk for being in bidirectionally violent compared to perpetration-only relationships, illicit drug users are more likely to engage in perpetration only than no violence. This relationship may perhaps be attributed to the view of substance use as a social disinhibitor or a rationalization for violence (Flanzer, 2005) but because we do not know whether these controlled substances were used during the violent incidents, these findings should be interpreted with caution.…”