Initial Prescription Duration Limits and Intimate Partner Violence

• In Event: Opioid Use Disorder - Treatment and Analysis

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is a common and persistent problem in the United States, impacting millions of individuals each year. There is a substantial body of evidence showing that substance use and substance use disorders are a predictor of intimate partner violence. Thus, any policy initiatives that can successfully reduce the likelihood of substance use and substance use disorders from developing or worsening may have the unintended impact of reducing intimate partner violence. We explore this hypothesis by leveraging the implementation of opioid prescription limit laws which are aimed at reducing the initial opioid supply available to patients. We find that initial prescription laws are associated with reductions in incidences of intimate partner violence reported to law enforcement. These effects are driven by simple assaults rather than more extreme forms of intimate partner violence. Additionally, these reductions are stronger within states that pass more restrictive forms of initial prescription laws. These results highlight an unintended benefit of opioid restriction policies.

Author

• Ashley Bradford, Georgia Institute of Technology
  Presenting Author