Associations of Women's Substance Dependency Symptoms with Intimate Partner Violence

Associations of substance dependencies and experiences with intimate partner violence (IPV) were examined in a community sample of 146 female participants in a longitudinal study of couples. The women with a history of dependence on hard drugs (but not alcohol, cannabis, or sedatives) were more likely to also have perpetrated IPV. However, only women dependent on cocaine were more likely to have been a victimized by their male partners. Psychological IPV was found to be more stable across time than physical IPV, but associations of substance abuse with IPV did not vary by IPV type. Findings were compared with results from a prior study of men's substance abuse and IPV that also found associations between dependence on hard drugs (but not alcohol dependence alone) and perpetration of IPV.