Intimate partner violence and substance use in Southeastern Virginia

Background: In the U.S., there are approximately 5.3 million incidents of intimate partner violence (IPV) per year committed against women ages eighteen years and older. Prior studies have linked substance use to IPV but few have examined these relationships in multivariate models. With support from the literature connecting the increased use of tobacco and alcohol with IPV victimization, this study examined these factors in a multivariate structure.

Methods: Data was extracted from the Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trends (SMART) dataset within the 2005 BRFSS. SMART allowed area-level estimates to be analyzed in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia area. Structured, household telephone surveys were conducted and complete data is available for 569 women age 18 and over. Questions on demographics, health, IPV and substance use were asked.

Results: Approximately 30% of participants reported some form of IPV during their lifetime. IPV victims were significantly more likely to smoke than non-IPV victims (30% vs. 12.5%, p<.02) and to have drank heavily in the past month (13% vs. 7%, p<.01). These relationships remain significant in multivariate logistic regression models that control for socio-demographic factors.

Conclusion: IPV victimization is significantly correlated to substance use among women. Understanding this comorbidity may enable the development of more effective intervention and prevention programs seeking to reduce the incidence and prevalence of IPV.