Substance Abuse Issues Among Women in Domestic Violence Programs: Findings From North Carolina

• NCJ Number: 224297
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 985-997
• Author(s): Sandra L. Martin; Kathryn E. Moracco; Judy C. Chang; Carol L. Council; Lisa S. Dulli
• Date Published: September 2008
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Results are presented from a survey of domestic violence programs across North Carolina with the purpose of describing how domestic violence programs serve clients with substance abuse problems.

Abstract

The domestic violence program staff reported that the prevalence of substance abuse problems among the women seen in these programs was extremely high, with approximately one-fourth of the programs estimating that more than half of their clients have such problems. Even though the programs would refer an intoxicated woman to a substance abuse treatment program, approximately one-third of the programs would deny the woman admittance into their shelter. The domestic violence programs described many challenges in meeting the needs of clients with substance abuse problems, such as difficulty of ensuring that women received needed substance abuse treatment, difficulty in housing substance-abusing clients, and the high probability of substance abuse relapse and return to a violent relationship. Strategies cited for the successful provision of services for substance-abusing women included: establishing open communication with women about substance abuse, implementation of substance-free policies within shelters, and active collaboration with substance abuse treatment centers. Results of the survey may be useful in offering suggestions to help improve domestic violence programs’ abilities to meet the needs of victimized substance-abusing women. Research has demonstrated strong ties between women’s experiences of intimate partner violence and women’s abuse of substances. It is important to gain knowledge about this issue to ensure women who suffer from both violence and substance abuse problems have access to appropriate services and care. This paper discusses the results of a survey of North Carolina's 84 domestic violence programs that found that substance abuse problems are common among program clients. Tables and references