Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between substance use and partner abuse among women (N = 1,025) who entered drug-treatment programs through the criminal justice systems in New York City and Portland, Oregon. Self-report data on substance use and partner abuse indicate that although the rate of partner abuse in both cities is well above the national average, the less substance-involved women in Portland reported more abuse than their New York counterparts. Our analyses suggest that the relationship between partner abuse and substance use during conflicts varies within the population of women offenders who are heavily drug-involved, with women in Portland reporting a greater direct link between partner abuse and substance use. The findings indicate that there is a need for drug-treatment providers to understand their clients' victimization histories and the relationship between partner abuse and substance use in order to engage clients in the treatment process and help them learn how to avoid being victimized in the future.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
American Correctional Association. (1990). The Female Offender: What Does the Future Hold? St. Mary's Press, Washington, DC.
Astone, J., Strauss, S., and Falkin, G. (submitted for publication). The child abuse potential of women offenders in Portland, Oregon and New York City.
Bloom, B., Lind, M. C., and Owen, B. (1994). Women in California Prisons: Hidden Victims of the War on Drugs, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, San Francisco.
Browne, A., Miller, B., and Maguin, E. (in press). Prevalence and severity of lifetime physical and sexual victimization among incarcerated women. J. Interpers. Viol.
Coleman, K. H., Weinman, M. L., and Hsi, B. P. (1980). Factors affecting conjugal violence. J. Psychol. 105: 197–202.
Danner, T. A., Blount, W. R., Silverman, I. J., and Vega, M. (1995). The female chronic offender: Exploring life contingency and offense history dimensions for incarcerated female offenders. Women Crime. Just. 6(2): 45–66.
Downs, W. R., Miller, B. A., and Panek, D.D. (1993). Differential patterns of partner-towoman violence: A comparison of samples of community, alcohol-abusing, and battered women. J. Fam. Viol. 8: 113–135.
El-Bassel, N., Ivanoff, A., Schilling, R. F., Gilbert, L., and Chen, D. R. (1995). Correlates of problem drinking among drug-using incarcerated women. Addict. Behav. 20(3): 359–369.
El-Bassel, N., Gilbert, L., Schilling, R. F., Ivanoff, N., and Borne, D. (1996). Correlates of crack abuse among drug-using incarcerated women: Psychological trauma, social support, and coping behavior. Am. J. Drug Alcohol Abuse 22(1): 41–56.
Fagan, J. (1994). Women and drugs revisited: Female participation in the cocaine economy. J. Drug Issues 24: 179–225.
Falkin, G., and Strauss, S. (submitted for publication). Social supporters and drug use enablers:A dilemma for women in recovery. Partner Abuse and Substance Use AmongWomen Mandated to Drug Treatment 105
Fletcher, B. R., Rolison, G. L., and Moon, D.G. (1993). The women prisoner. In Fletcher, R. B., Shaver, L. D., and Moon, D. G. (eds.), Women Prisoners: A Forgotten Population, Praeger, Westport, CT, pp. 15–26.
Harlow, C.W. (1998). Profile of Jail Inmates, 1996,U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
Jordan, B. K., Schlenger, W. E., Fairbank, J. A., and Caddell, J. M. (1996). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among incarcerated women: Convicted felons entering prison. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 53: 513–519.
Kantor, G. K., and Straus, M. A. (1989). Substance abuse as a precipitant of wife abuse victimization. Am. J. Drug Alcohol Abuse 15(2): 173–189.
Kantor, G. K., and Straus, M. A. (1990). The “drunken bum” theory of wife beating. In Straus, M. A., and Gelles, R. J. (eds.), Physical Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ, pp. 203–224.
Lake, E. S. (1993). An exploration of the violent victim experiences of female offenders. Viol. Vict. 8: 41–51.
McClellan, D. S., Farabee, D., and Crouch, B. M. (1997). Early victimization, drug use, and criminality:Acomparison of male and female prisoners. Crim. Just. Behav. 24(4): 455–476.
Miller, B. A. (1998). Partner violence experiences and women's drug use: Exploring the connections. In Wetherington, C. L., and Roman, A. B. (eds.), Drug Addiction Research and the Health of Women (NIH Publication No. 98-4290), National Institute on Drug Abuse, Washington, DC, pp. 407–416.
Miller, B. A., Maguin, E., and Browne, A. (1997). AOD problems and their relationship to victimization among incarcerated women. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, San Diego, CA.
O'Keefe, M. (1997). Incarcerated battered women:Acomparison of batteredwomenwho killed their abusers and those incarcerated for other offenses. J. Fam. Viol. 12(1): 1–19.
Prendergast, M. L., Wellisch, J., and Wong, M. M. (1996). Residential treatment for women parolees following prison-based drug treatment: Treatment experiences, needs and services, outcomes. Prison J. 76: 253–274.
Richie, B. E. (1996). Compelled to Crime. New York: Routledge.
Richie, B. E., and Johnsen, C. (1996). Abuse histories among newly incarcerated women in New York City jail. J. Am. Med. Women's Assoc. 51(3): 111–117.
Sargent, E., Marcus-Mendoza, S., and Chong, H. Y. (1993). Abuse and the woman prisoner. In Fletcher, R. B., Shaver, L. D., and Moon, D. G. (eds.), Women Prisoners: A Forgotten Population, Praeger, Westport, CT, pp. 54–64.
Singer, M. I., Bussey, J., Song, L.Y., and Lunghofer, L. (1995). The psychosocial issues of women serving time in jail. Soc. Work 40(1): 103–113.
Snell, T. L., and Morton, D. C. (1994). Women in Prison: Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC.
Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The conflict tactics scales. J. Marr. Fam. 41: 75–88.
Straus, M. A., and Gelles, R. J. (1990). Physical Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ.
Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J., and Steinmetz, S. K. (1980). Behind Closed Doors: Violence in the American Family, Anchor/Doubleday, Garden City, NY.
Strauss, S., and Falkin, G. (in press).Women offenders who use methamphetamine frequently: The drug-crime connection. Women Crime. Just.
Teplin, L. A., Abram, K. M., and McClelland, G. M. (1996). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among incarcerated women: Pretrial jail detainees. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 53: 505–512.
Walker, L. (1984). The Battered Women Syndrome, Springer, New York.
Welle, D., Falkin, G., and Jainchill, N. (1998). Current approaches to drug treatment for women offenders: TheWORTH project. J. Subst. Abuse Treat. 15(2): 151–163.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wilson-Cohn, C., Strauss, S.M. & Falkin, G.P. The Relationship Between Partner Abuse and Substance Use Among Women Mandated to Drug Treatment. Journal of Family Violence 17, 91–105 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013613124050
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013613124050