Interpersonal Violence Among Civilians During the War: The Role of Alcohol Consumption and Social Withdrawal

• In Event: Violence, Legitimacy, and Social Responses in Times of War and Conflict

Abstract

Adding to the literature on predictors of interpersonal violence in social contexts engulfed in violent conflicts, this study employs survey data from multi-stage stratified random samples of civilian adults from two large Ukrainian cities to investigate direct effects of alcohol use and social withdrawal on the likelihood of individual involvement in interpersonal violence. In addition, it examines the mediating role of these factors in the relationships between war exposure and violence. Findings from negative binomial regression models reveal that both alcohol use and social withdrawal increase the chances of involvement in interpersonal violence. Results also confirm that direct and indirect war exposure are positively associated with the likelihood of violent behavior. Finally, results from mediation analyses show mixed support for the study hypotheses. These findings demonstrate the need for interventions that address alcohol use and social withdrawal in countries experiencing war.

Authors

• Marii Paliienko, University of Miami

• Olena Antonaccio, University of Miami

• Ekaterina Botchkovar, Northeastern University

• Robert J. Johnson, University of Miami

• Anastasiia Timmer, California State University, Northridge