Patterns of substance-involved intimate partner violence perpetration: Findings from a daily diary study

Previous work has linked substance use to intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, but the extent to which patterns of substance use influence patterns of IPV perpetration is unclear.

Women (N = 216, M_age = 40.7 years [SD = 13.1], 34.7 % Black, 26.9 % White) experiencing physical or repeated psychological IPV were recruited from the community and completed daily app-based surveys for 90 days, in which they reported their partner's use of alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs, and their partner's psychological, physical, and sexual IPV perpetration.

Partner's IPV perpetration was significantly more likely on days when partners used (versus did not use) any substances (OR = 2.25, 95 %CI [1.89, 2.67]). Substance use patterns (i.e., alcohol or cannabis use alone, alcohol-cannabis co-use, other drug use) varied with respect to whether they differentiated days with (versus without) IPV, psychological IPV alone, physical IPV without sexual IPV (with or without psychological IPV), and sexual IPV (with or without physical and psychological IPV). In large part, substance use patterns that included alcohol tended to increase the odds of same-day IPV perpetration. Specifically, alcohol use alone increased the odds of same-day psychological and physical IPV perpetration, and alcohol-cannabis co-use increased the odds of same-day physical and sexual IPV perpetration. Use of other drugs increased the odds of same-day sexual IPV perpetration.

Findings suggest particular patterns of substance use increased the risk of IPV perpetration. These patterns may represent higher-risk events that could be targeted by just-in-time interventions to reduce IPV, and support efforts targeting alcohol use in batterer invention programming.