Friday, 14 January 2005 - 10:00 AM

This presentation is part of: Addressing Intimate Partner Violence, Drug Use, and HIV Among Men in Drug Treatment

Intimate Partner Violence and Illicit Drug Use Among Men in Drug Treatment

Objectives: Despite the scope and severity intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrated by substance abusing men, few studies have collected prevalence data from perpetrators, specifically those in methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs), and little is known about whether being maintained on methadone alone and not using illicit drugs is a protective factor for IPV. This study is designed to: (1) to examine the prevalence rates of perpetrating different types of IPV against female partners among men in MMTPs; (2) to examine whether perpetration of IPV in the past six months is associated with use of different illicit drugs and/or binge drinking among men in MMTPs; (3), to examine whether the participant’s perpetration of IPV is associated with his female partner’s illicit drug use, binge drinking and her enrollment in drug treatment compared to having a female partner who is drug-free and is not in drug treatment. Methods: The study was funded by NIDA and conducted between 1999-2001 among a random sample of 356 men in MMTPs who participated in 90-minute face-to-face interviews. The majority were African American (37%) and Latino (45%). Results: More than a third (39%) of the men reported perpetrating any IPV (physical and/or sexual and/or injurious) against their partner. Using propensity score matching and logistic regression, compared to men in MMTPs who did not use any illicit drugs, those who used heroin in the past six months were 2.5 times more likely to inflict any IPV. Men who used more than one drug in the past six months were 2.4 times more likely to inflict any IPV and men who reported binge drinking in the past six months were 3.4 times more likely to inflict any IPV. Participants who reported that their female partners used crack/cocaine were 9 times more likely to perpetrate IPV compared to those who reported that their partners were not using any illicit drugs. Participants who reported that their partners were in drug treatment, compared to their counterparts who reported that their partners were not in drug treatment, were 4.2 times more likely to report severe perpetration of IPV and were 2.7 times more likely to report psychological aggression against their partner in the past six months. Conclusion: The findings have important intervention and prevention implications for addressing the risk of perpetrating IPV by men in MMTPs against their female partners. Received IPV may be assessed for female patients in a few MMTPs, but universal screening for perpetration of IPV is lacking. Such universal screening for risk of perpetration of IPV is particularly important among male MMTP patients who continue to use heroin, are polydrug users, and who engage in binge drinking.

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