Structural Pathways Between Race/Ethnicity, Substance Use, Military Service, and Male-Perpetrated Intimate Partner Violence in Pre-9/11 Military Families

Abstract

Along with service members, military families bear the brute consequences of global U.S. military intervention. Various studies have concluded that these deployments put military families at high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). Using structural equation modeling (SEM) as a novel approach to examine IPV among pre-9/11 military families, this study considers variations of self-reported IPV from the point of the abused partner to test the impact of several life events and demographic factors on the type of IPV most prevalent among perpetrators. The study sample contains information about 599 male perpetrators from the Nature and Scope of Violence Against Women in San Diego, California (1996-1998), a survey about domestic violence from clients admitted to women’s shelters. Perpetrators race/ethnicity, age, military experience, previous exposure to abuse, income, and education were modeled using SEM procedures to determine the frequency of IPV perpetrated under the influence of certain substances and etiologic characteristics. Particular attention focused on the differences among the military’s racial and ethnic groups and on the overall differences between IPV perpetrations among military families to nonmilitary families. Study findings indicate that (a) irrespective of race, pre-9/11 veteran perpetrators commit verbal/mental abuse more often than other forms of IPV, (b) when taking race/ethnicity into account, for veterans, there are differences with IPV perpetration trends and substance use, and (c) IPV perpetration trends are different between veteran and nonveteran groups, irrespective of race.

Military Cohorts, Substance Use, and Male-Perpetrated Intimate Partner Violence

“…It is important to understand the dynamic ways in which behavior and substance use interact. Studies focused on IPV have investigated the social and psychological effects of alcohol on behavior (Caetano et al, 2004), substance use and racialized behaviors (Ballard et al, 2015; Cancio, 2017, 2018), and initial exposures to substance use and violence (Mandavia et al, 2016; Peinado et al, 2014). There are logical relationships connecting substance use and IPV, using selective disinhibition theory to contextualize the various gradations of substance use on the ability to maintain interpersonal relationships (Cancio, 2019).…”

“…Breiding et al (2014) found that Native American, Black, and multiracial non-Latino men had a significantly higher prevalence of sexual assault, battery, or stalking compared with White non-Latino men. Studies focused on IPV and military veterans have found that IPV does not manifest uniformly across groups of men of similar racial/ethnic groups (Cancio, 2017).…”

“…Using a sample of pre-9/11 veteran perpetrators, Cancio (2017) found that White veterans were more disposed to perpetrate sexual violence against their partners, whereas Black veterans were more likely to carry out physical IPV. These findings were also reflective of the types of substances used by particular ethnic and racial groups.…”

“…Military deployments place service members at high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, as well as place substantial strain on service members and their families (Finley et al, 2010; Jakupcak et al, 2007). Various studies using representative military samples find that military populations report greater rates of IPV perpetration than nonmilitary populations when controlling for age and race/ethnicity (Cancio, 2017, 2018, 2019). The increase of military-related calls to the National Violence Hotline (457 in 2006 to over 1,100 in 2010), potentially signifies that IPV is getting worse among military families (Women’s Justice Project, 2011).…”

Readiness to Help: How Students' Sexual Assault Awareness, Responsibility, and Action Correlate with Bystander Intervention Behavior

“…Still, other research has found gender differences in bystander behaviors, with women reporting more prosocial intervention behavior, or fewer missed opportunities, compared with men (Hoxmeier, Acock, & Flay, 2017;Hoxmeier, McMahon, O'Connor, 2017;Banyard and Moynihan, 2011;Brown et al, 2014;Burn, 2009). Scholars contend that any investigation into prosocial intervention behaviors should be measured relative to opportunities to intervene (McMahon et al 2015), a design not used in previous examination with the TTM.…”