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Substance Abuse and Victimization

NCJ Number
188890
Author(s)
MonaLou Callery; Patricia Kelleher; Robert Dapcich
Date Published
1999
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the relationship between family violence and substance abuse in terms of the link between the victim's experience of family violence and substance abuse as well as the link between the victimizer's substance abuse and abusive behavior.
Abstract
Family violence and substance abuse are often "hidden" problems, and the association between the two has not been adequately researched. Several recent studies do, however, highlight connections between these problems. Studies consistently show that women who had been abused reported more frequent use of sleeping pills, sedative, and pain medications than women who had not been abused. Further, research indicates that men who drink regularly are more likely to abuse family members, and parental child abuse was found to be six times more frequent among men who often drank to excess. The National Violence Against Women Surveys have found that alcohol is a prominent factor in wife/partner assault. Although family violence and substance abuse frequently coexist, the exact nature of the relationship is not well understood. Current theoretical explanations for the link between substance abuse and victimization are the use of drugs as self-medication to relieve the emotional or psychological pain of family violence, reduction in behavioral inhibitions, learned association, disavowal, and interaction theory. Other issues discussed are implications for service providers, drugs and other victimization, drugs and crime, victim perceptions and inmate reports, and drug testing of adult arrestees. 15 references