Unhooked Science Readings

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Domestic Violence & Alcohol and Other Drugs

"Alcohol is associated with a substantial proportion of human violence, and perpetrators are often under the influence of alcohol. " Eighth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health (Secretary of Health and Human Services, September 1993)

Studies of domestic violence frequently document high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) involvement, and AOD use is known to impair judgment, reduce inhibition, and increase aggression. Alcoholism and child abuse, including incest, seem tightly intertwined as well. The connection between child abuse and alcohol abuse "may take the form of alcohol abuse in parents or alcohol intoxication at the time of the abuse incident."[1] Not only do abusers tend to be heavy drinkers, but those who have been abused stand a higher probability of abusing alcohol and other drugs over the course of their lifetime.

Alcohol consistently "emerges as a significant predictor of marital violence."[2] Alcoholic women have been found to be significantly more likely to have experienced negative verbal conflict with spouses than were nonalcoholic women. They were also significantly more likely to have experienced a range of moderate and severe physical violence.

Studies have shown a significant association between battering incidents and alcohol abuse. Further, a dual problem with alcohol and other drugs is even more likely to be associated with the more severe battering incidents than is alcohol abuse by itself. The need for preventing alcohol and other drug problems is clear when examining the following statistics are examined:

• In 1987, 64 percent of all reported child abuse and neglect cases in New York City were associated with parental AOD abuse.[3]
• A study of 472 women by the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo, NY, found that 87 percent of alcoholic women had been physically or sexually abused as children, compared to 59 percent of the nonalcoholic women surveyed (Miller and Downs, 1993).[4]
• A 1993 study of more than 2,000 American couples found rates of domestic violence were almost 15 times higher in households where husbands were described as often drunk as opposed to never drunk.[5]
• Battered women are at increased risk of attempting suicide, abusing alcohol and other drugs, depression, and abusing their own children.[6]
• Alcohol is present in more than 50 percent of all incidents of domestic violence.[5]

While alcohol and other drug use is neither an excuse for nor a direct cause of family violence, several theories might explain the relationship. For example, women who are abused often live with men who drink heavily, which places the women in an environment where their potential exposure to violence is higher.

A second possible explanation is that women using alcohol and other drugs may not recognize assault cues and even if they do, may not know how to respond appropriately. Third, alcohol and other drug abuse by either parent could contribute to family violence by exacerbating financial problems, child-care difficulties, or other family stressers. Finally, the experience of being a victim of parental abuse could contribute to future alcohol and other drug abuse.

To reduce the incidence of these problems in the future, prevention of alcohol and other drug abuse must be a top priority. For more information, call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686.

All statistics cited in this Making the Link fact sheet come from the following sources:

1.Widom, Cathy Spatz. "Child Abuse and Alcohol Use." Research Monograph 24: Alcohol and Interpersonal Violence: Fostering Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1993.

2.Kantor, Glenda Kaufman. "Refining the Brushstrokes in Portraits of Alcohol and Wife Assaults." Research Monograph 24: Alcohol and Interpersonal Violence: Fostering Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 1993.

3.Chasnoff, I.J. Drugs, Alcohol, Pregnancy and Parenting, Northwestern University Medical School, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Hingham, MA, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1988.

4.Miller, Brenda A. and Downs, William R. "The Impact of Family Violence on the Use of Alcohol by Women," Alcohol Health and Research World, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 137-143, 1993.

5.Collins, J.J., and Messerschmidt, M.A. Epidemiology of Alcohol-Related Violence. Alcohol Health and Reasearch World, 17(2):93-100. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1993.

6.Fact Sheet on Physical and Sexual Abuse, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, April 1994.

Spring 1995 NCADI Inventory Number ML001