Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Help Seeking for Alcohol Problems

• NCJ Number: 195606
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 9-18
• Author(s): Raul Caetano; Craig A. Field; Scott Nelson
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): R37-AA10908
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The primary aim of this study was to determine the association between intimate partner violence, alcohol problems, and help-seeking behaviors for alcohol problems; the study also examined ethnic differences in the reporting of intimate partner violence, alcohol problems, and treatment or help-seeking for alcohol problems.

Abstract

Subjects were selected through a multistage area household probability sampling procedure from individuals 18 years of age or older living in households in the 48 contiguous States, yielding an overall survey response rate of 85 percent. The data under analyses came from a subsample (N=1,468) of a larger sample of U.S. couples for which data on treatment-seeking were available. White, Black, and Hispanic couples 18 years of age or older were interviewed in 1995. Since the aim of the study was to examine the predictors of help-seeking for alcohol problems, 302 lifelong abstainers were excluded from the analyses. Data were collected during 1-hour, face-to-face interviews conducted in respondents' homes with standardized questionnaires. Help-seeking was defined as talking to someone or seeking treatment for an alcohol problem. Multivariate analysis that controlled for ethnicity, gender, age, education, and income found that those with alcohol problems and intimate partner violence together were 1.5 times more likely to seek help than those who reported alcohol problems alone. Thus, alcohol treatment may provide an opportunity for interventions that target both alcohol problems and intimate partner violence. The joint occurrence of intimate partner violence and alcohol problems also highlights the need for collaboration between community agencies that address these problems. This should include the development of active cross-referral pathways. Blacks had slightly higher rates of help-seeking than whites and Hispanics; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Blacks were more likely to report the joint occurrence of alcohol problems and intimate partner violence, as well as intimate partner violence alone, than the other two groups. The lifetime prevalence of alcohol problems was higher among whites and Hispanics than among Blacks. 2 tables and 31 references