Development of a research-based logic model for alcohol-related situational violence

Alcohol-related situational violence is interpersonal physically and/or sexually violent behavior associated with drinking events outside the home. Although the positive alcohol-violence correlation is well established and accepted, there has been little systematic effort to develop a model that describes the relationships among the various factors that are strongly related to and influence the occurrence and magnitude of alcohol consumption and interpersonal violence. Such a model would suggest critical points for prevention and intervention strategies, and would be a useful tool for policy initiatives, program development, and data-driven strategic planning at both the state and community levels.

We drew upon the peer-reviewed literature on alcohol and violence etiology and prevention, as well as findings that we could reasonably generalize from the literature on other alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) prevention, to develop our causal model. We identified the key intervening variables at various levels of the social ecology, as well as promising strategies for the prevention of alcohol-related situational violence in communities. As with other ATOD-related problems, our review indicated that a multi-factorial, interactive model is most useful both for describing the nature of the alcohol-violence relationship and for guiding strategies for intervention and policy; and that a mix of evidence-based strategies affecting key variables is necessary to prevent and reduce alcohol-related situational violence and its toll on society. In addition to presenting the model and potential prevention strategies, we will discuss the unique issues and challenges associated with applying a general ATOD causal model to alcohol-related situational violence.