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Drinking, Alcohol Problems and Intimate Partner Violence Among White and Hispanic Couples in the U.S.: Longitudinal Associations

NCJ Number
222229
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 37-45
Author(s)
Raul Caetano; Suhasini Ramisetty-Mikler; T. Robert Harris
Date Published
January 2008
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the longitudinal associations between drinking, alcohol problems, and male-to-female (MFPV) and female-to-male partner violence (FMPV).
Abstract
This study used two-stage general population household survey longitudinal data collected in both 1995 and 2000; the results of the two surveys indicated gender-specific as well as ethnic-specific results. The relationship between drinking and alcohol problems, as well as the relationship between these alcohol variables and MFPV and FMPV are not static and changed across ethnic groups. These associations showed that once a behavior was present it intended to predict the same behavior in the future. Alcohol volume, alcohol problems, MFPV and FMPV in 1995 significantly predicted the same behavior as 5 years later. For White couples, female alcohol problems predicted FMPV in 1995. For Hispanics, female alcohol problems predicted FMPV only in 2000. The results showed higher rates of FMPV than MFPV in survey samples; although rates of FMPV may be higher than MFPV, consequences of MFPV, in general, were more serious. MFPV is more likely to result in injury and death, and a significant percentage of women's emergency room visits are due to male perpetrated violence. Among those homicides in which the victim-suspect relationship is known, women are three times more likely to be killed by an intimate than a stranger; the health consequences of violence remains greater for women than for men. Data were collected using subjects 18 years or older and that constituted a multistage random probability sample representative of married and cohabitating couples in 48 contiguous States. Tables, references