Young Adult IPV Victimization and Subsequent Risk of Alcohol Use Disorder

• In Event: Sociology of Population Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 7. Inequality and Policy

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) constitutes a significant social and public health problem in the United States. A complex and multifaceted phenomenon, IPV includes physical, emotional, psychological, or sexual aggression or coercive controlling behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner, such as a sexual, dating, or marital partner (Johnson 2008; Stark 2007; Dobash and Dobash 1979). Tens of millions of Americans are victimized by intimate partners every year, beginning in adolescence, and continuing through adulthood. Decades of research affirm that survivors of intimate partner violence experience worse health outcomes across a variety of metrics (Campbell 2002; Dillon, Hussain, Loxton, and Rahman 2013). One important outcome is substance use: numerous studies link IPV with subsequent alcohol and drug use (Devries et al. 2013; Nowotny and Graves 2013). Survivors of intimate partner violence may use alcohol or other substances to self-medicate (Øverup et al., 2015; Gresham et al. 2021), with consequences for long-term health and well-being. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), I investigate several mechanisms linking IPV victimization and subsequent alcohol-related disorders. Early findings suggest that social and economic pathways may link IPV victimization and young adult alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.

Author

• Randi Saunders, University of Texas at San Antonio