NCJ Number
91084
Date Published
1982
Length
37 pages
Annotation
Alcohol and drugs contribute to spouse abuse through complex interactions between the drug type with a person's personality type, personality interactions, dosage levels, the person's expectations regarding the drug's effects, and the setting.
Abstract
The depressants and stimulants have the greatest influence on spouse abuse. Alcohol is particularly influential. The narcotics have indirect influences through withdrawal effects and the emotional and financial strains of maintaining a drug habit. The hallucinogens have relatively little effect, while phencyclidine (PCP) is most widely used by young people who have not established continuing partner relationships. The interactive effects of multiple substances may be greater than their individual effects. The particularly dangerous combinations are alcohol and amphetamines, barbiturates and amphetamines, alcohol and barbiturates, and PCP or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and amphetamines. In one major group of marriages which are prone to violence, partner abuse is due mainly to the premorbid personality of the abusive individual. Under certain conditions, substance use may heighten aggressive and violent behaviors. In the second major group, partner abuse results from conflicts which arise within the relationship and may aggravate the conflicts. Future research should focus on substance abuse by the victim and on the contributory influences of the various factors related to spouse abuse. Eighty-nine references are listed. (Author summary modified)