Associations of substance use problems with intimate partner violence for at-risk men in long-term relationships.

Abstract

Associations of men's substance use problems-defined as meeting at least one criterion of dependence on each of a number of substances by the mid-20s-and their perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) were examined in an at-risk community sample of 150 men in long-term relationships from late adolescence to the late 20s. Men who had a problem with substances other than sedatives (especially cannabis and hallucinogens) committed more IPV than did men without such problems. Most of the men who had a problem with marijuana also had an alcohol problem, explaining why alcohol was found to have only an indirect association with IPV. The failure of previous alcohol-use studies to control for co-occurrence of alcohol and marijuana problems may explain the discrepancy with conclusions from past research that alcohol problems contribute directly to the perpetration of IPV. Keywordsat-risk sample; substance abuse; intimate partner violence Substance use frequently has been considered a contributing factor to intimate partner violence (IPV). A study of police visits to domestic violence scenes found that 92% of perpetrators had used alcohol or other drugs on the day of the incident (Brookoff, O'Brien, Cook, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Furthermore, 40-60% of married or cohabitating patients entering substance-abuse treatment reported at least one episode of IPV in the prior year (reviewed in Fals-Stewart & Kennedy, 2005). The associations of problem use of specific substance with IPV, especially while accounting for polysubstance use, have still not been well established. Associations of Specific Substances with IPVIt is generally believed that there is a direct contribution of alcohol problems to IPV (Thompson & Kingree, 2006). Mechanism by which substance use may contribute to perpetration of violence include disinhibition associated with intoxication as well as expectations (e.g., Arseneault, Moffitt, Caspi, Taylor, & Silva, 2000;Gelles & Cavanaugh, 2005). In addition, intoxication provides a more socially acceptable reason for violence than admission of aggression when judgment is unaffected by substances (Lennings, Copeland, & Howard, 2003).Findings regarding the connection of marijuana use and violence have been mixed, with some studies supporting a positive or negative association (e.g., Boles & Miotto, 2003; Friedman, (c) Terras, & Glassman, 2003) and others failing to find a link between the two (Lennings et al., 2003). Amphetamines have mood-altering effects, including irritability, aggression, and paranoid and psychotic states, which can be particularly severe depending on dosage and chronicity of use (see review by Boles & Miotto). Two studies based on related samples of methamphetamine users reported that paranoia and violence, most often in family and acquaintance relationships, were associated with use ).Previously, cocaine use had been found consistently to be associated with violence, including IPV. Boles and Miotto's (2003) review found similar mood-altering effects and violent states f...

Male Perpetration of Teen Dating Violence: Associations with Neighborhood Violence Involvement, Gender Attitudes, and Perceived Peer and Neighborhood Norms

“…Additional related research on TDV is required to further inform a gender-based conceptual framework for ongoing work to address this issue. Notably, supportive attitudes toward traditional male gender norms are also linked to a range of high-risk health behaviors among boys and threaten the lives of boys in immense ways (e.g., boys have greater rates of substance and tobacco use, [42][43][44] unprotected sex, 45,46 suicide, 47 unintentional injury, [48][49][50] homicide, other injuries), 47 further showcasing the need to address social norms related to gender. These statistics related to poor morbidity and mortality among boys and men, as well as the current study findings linking such norms to TDV perpetration, together, indicate that more work is needed to address gender norms, particularly within the context of urban populations of male adolescents where support of more traditional gender norms often appears exacerbated.…”

Risk factors for intimate partner violence in prison inmates

“…We emphasize drug use because of the existence of differences and because of its high incidence in both groups. This feature is very common in the general population of prison inmates (Evans, Huang, & Hser, 2011;Fazel, Bains, & Doll, 2006;Fridell et al, 2008;Salize et al, 2007) and is a generator of life stress and loss of behavioral control, factors that elicit IPV (Feingold, Kerr, & Capaldi, 2008). The presence of suicidal ideas or attempts is notable in the IPV group, and this is an indicator of emotional instability and the capacity to perpetrate violence, even self-injury (Fazel, Grann, Kling, & Hawton, 2011).…”

Are Generalist Batterers Different from Generally Extra-Family Violent Men? A Study among Imprisoned Male Violent Offenders

“…As for the influence of sexist attitudes toward women, there is empirical evidence suggesting that they are an important risk factor to understand IPV against women (Ali & Naylor, 2013). Finally, different studies show that substance and alcohol use and abuse are important factors related with general violence and IPV (Fagan, 1990;Feingold, Kerr, & Capaldi, 2008;Golinelli, Longshore, & Wenzel, 2009;Lisco, Parrot, & Tharp, 2012 Family of origin characteristics have also been regarded to both IPV against women (Ehrensaft et al, 2003) as well as to general violence (Fagan, 2005;Farrington, 2003;LeBlanc, 2005). Several studies of IPV focused their attention on family of origin of batterers, taking in account parental skills, educational models, socioeconomic level, or presence of abuse from parents .…”