Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
09:12
The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
[Substance use and victimization in violent assaults]
E Marvelli1, I Grattagliano, L Aventaggiato
1Dipartimento di Studi Giuridici. Master in Criminologia e Psichiatria Forense, Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino.
La Clinica Terapeutica
|July 23, 2013
Summary
Substance use significantly elevates the risk of assault, particularly in cases of family violence and rape. Understanding this link is crucial for addressing drug-facilitated crimes.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Psychology
- Criminology
- Neuroscience
Context:
- Substance use is a recognized factor contributing to criminal behavior.
- Drug-facilitated crimes represent a complex intersection of addiction and violence.
- Existing literature highlights a correlation between substance abuse and increased vulnerability to assault.
Purpose:
- To systematically review international literature on the relationship between substance use and the risk of assault.
- To analyze the specific contexts, such as family violence and rape, where this association is most pronounced.
- To explore the nuanced interplay between drug effects, user expectations, and violent or victimizing behaviors.
Summary:
- A comprehensive review of international studies indicates a strong association between substance use and an increased risk of assault.
- This relationship is particularly evident in instances of family violence and sexual assault (rape).
- The impact of psychotropic substances on behavior is moderated by the user's emotional state and expectations, complicating linear causal interpretations.
Impact:
- Informs therapeutic interventions for individuals with substance use disorders and a history of violence.
- Provides evidence for law enforcement and judicial systems in understanding and prosecuting drug-facilitated crimes.
- Highlights the need for cautious interpretation of causality, considering psychological factors and drug-induced states in cases of abuse and victimisation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.
01:47Aggression
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for hire...
02:09Bystander Effect
The discussion of bullying highlights the problem of witnesses not intervening to help a victim. This is a common occurrence, as the following well-publicized event demonstrates. In 1964, in Queens, New York, a 19-year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked by a person with a knife near the back entrance to her apartment building and again in the hallway inside her apartment building. When the attack occurred, she screamed for help numerous times and eventually died from her stab wounds.
01:20Traumatic Memory
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...
01:13Torts II
Intentional torts in healthcare refer to deliberate actions that cause harm or infringe on the rights of others. Understanding these torts is crucial for healthcare professionals to avoid legal liabilities and maintain ethical standards in patient care.
00:57Deindividuation
Deindividuation is a form of social influence on an individual’s behavior such that the individual engages in unusual or non-normal behavior while in a group setting. Why? Because in these group settings, the individual no longer sees themselves as an individual anymore, disinhibiting their behavior and personal restraint.