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Substance Use and Intimate Partner Violence: Clarifying the Relevance of Women’s Use and Partners’ Use

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Abstract

Research has shown that, when women and/or their partners are involved in substance use, women’s risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) is higher. Prior research has not examined whether substance use by both women and their partners contributes independently or interactively to women’s risk of victimization and has not identified factors moderating the effect of substance use by victim or partner. Mental health and social support are explored as moderators of the association between women’s victimization and substance use by victim or partner in a study of 590 impoverished women residing in the Los Angeles area. This study found that substance use by both the woman and her partner independently predicted IPV and that social support moderated the effect of women’s substance use. These findings clarify the relevance of substance use in the context of intimate relationships and that of social support as a buffer against IPV among impoverished women.

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Acknowledgment

This research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (grant number R01 DA11370).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. RAND Corporation, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA, 90407-2138, USA

    Daniela Golinelli PhD & Suzanne L. Wenzel PhD

  2. UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, 1640 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA, 90025, USA

    Douglas Longshore PhD

  3. RAND Statistics Group and Health Program, Santa Monica, CA, 90407-2138, USA

    Daniela Golinelli PhD

  4. RAND Health Program and Drug Policy Research Center, Santa Monica, CA, 90407-2138, USA

    Douglas Longshore PhD & Suzanne L. Wenzel PhD

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  1. Daniela Golinelli PhD
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  2. Douglas Longshore PhD
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  3. Suzanne L. Wenzel PhD
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Correspondence to Daniela Golinelli PhD.

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Golinelli, D., Longshore, D. & Wenzel, S.L. Substance Use and Intimate Partner Violence: Clarifying the Relevance of Women’s Use and Partners’ Use. J Behav Health Serv Res 36, 199–211 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-008-9114-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-008-9114-6

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