Prevalence of family violence in clients entering substance abuse treatment

The present study evaluated 105 clients who were assessed for substance-related problems and a history of domestic violence. A brief survey on family violence examined whether clients were adult victims, childhood victims, and/or perpetrators of physical violence. Results indicated that 37% of the sample reported that they experienced a family history of physical violence. A total of 22% reported being an adult victim of physical violence, 14% reported being a victim of childhood abuse, and 18% reported being a perpetrator of physical violence. There was a significant positive correlation between subtypes of family violence. Substance-using clients who were older reported more incidences of family violence. Results showed that substance-using clients with a history of family violence (SAFV+) tended to have more individual therapy sessions attended than substance-using clients without a history of family violence (SAFV-). The SAFV+ group was different from the SAFV- group in that they had significantly higher scores on the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. The SAFV+ group also had significantly more self-reported and positive urine screens for cocaine use within the 2-month monitoring period. Additionally, substance-using clients with a history of childhood trauma had significantly more individual therapy sessions attended than clients without a history of childhood trauma. The group with a history of childhood trauma had significantly higher scores on the BDI. Findings indicate the importance of assessing family history of violence in substance abusers entering treatment, as this may have significant implications for treatment outcome.