Role of substance use in the battering relationship

Qualitative and quantitative data from a longitudinal study of 98 primarily (80%) African American women's responses to battering was used to analyze the complex relationship of substance use to intimate partner violence against women. Approximately one third of the women used alcohol and/or drugs, while almost 60% of their partners did. The partner's substance abuse was a significant predictor of the dangerousness and severity of physical abuse, while her substance abuse was inversely related to lethality risks and physical and nonphysical abuse in multi-variate analysis, controlling for demographics. Battered women perceived substance abuse as a significant problem in their relationships and said it contributed to their decisions about how to address the violence in their lives.