142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Examining the link between alcohol use, alcohol outlet density, social disorder, and teen dating violence victimization

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Elizabeth M. Parker, PhD, MHS , Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, PhD , Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Katrina Debnam, PhD , Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Catherine P. Bradshaw, PhD , Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
There is a well-established association between alcohol use and intimate partner violence, and some evidence suggesting that greater access to alcohol, as measured by alcohol outlet density, is also associated with intimate partner violence.  In youth, there is emerging literature suggesting similar associations between alcohol use and teen dating violence (TDV).  This study aims to explore the role of alcohol outlet density as well as markers of social disorder on the relationship between alcohol use and TDV. 

Data come from 27,758 high school students participating in school-based survey of alcohol use and experience of physical and psychological TDV.  Alcohol outlet density was calculated using 1-mile buffers of schools of participating students.  An observational tool (SAfETy) was used to assess indicators of social disorder on school property (e.g., presence of alcohol bottles) and signs of neglect (e.g., vandalism, broken lights). Multilevel logistic regression assessed the association between alcohol and TDV, controlling for individual- and school-level covariates.  

Results indicate that 33% of the youth reported recent alcohol use and 14% of youth reported physical and/or psychological TDV. The multilevel analyses revealed that students who reported recent alcohol use (β=0.64; p<.001) were at greater risk of experiencing TDV compared to students who did not report recent use.  Additional results focusing on the role of alcohol outlet density and TDV in this association will be presented.   

Preliminary findings suggest that alcohol use may need to be addressed in TDV prevention and early intervention programs.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Epidemiology
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain the association between alcohol outlet density and alcohol use and teen dating violence among high school students. Describe the association between social disorder and alcohol use and teen dating violence among high school students.

Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Youth Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I hold a doctorate in public health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and am currently a postdoctoral fellow on a NIDA-funded training grant specializing in the area of drug epidemiology. I have considerable expertise in teen dating violence and public health perspectives on the prevention of behavioral and mental health problems in youth.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5002.0: Adolescent Alcohol Use