Substance use and intimate partner violence victimization among White, African American, and Latina women
Date
2013
Journal Title
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Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Abstract
It is estimated that 4.7 million women in the United States are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year, and more than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime (CDC, 2011), although the overall rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) is declining (Catalano, 2012). Additionally, risk of IPV varies across the life course. Young adult women, in particular, experience the highest rates of IPV (Catalano, 2012; CDC, 2011). In 2010, 9.7 per 1,000 women aged 18–24 experienced IPV while 12.1 per 1,000 women aged 25–34 experienced IPV (Catalano, 2012). Notably, the literature does not paint a consistent portrait of the association of race/ethnicity with reported IPV. While a number of studies indicate that rates of IPV are higher among racial and ethnic minoritiesi, the differences are rarely statistically significant (BJS, 2009; Caetano et al., 2001; Cho, 2012). National data show that 31.7% of white women, 40.9% of black women, and 35.2% of Hispanic women have experienced IPV (CDC, 2011). In an effort to explain these differential rates, some scholars have pointed to the relationship between race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, arguing that the generally higher rates of IPV among minority communities are the result of the socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by these groups (Bent-Goodley, 2007; Cho, 2012; West, 2004). Others have discussed the differing perceptions of IPV (McNeely and Torres, 2009) as well as the differential rates of disclosure and access to resources and support (Belknap et al., 2009) among minorities and non-minorities. Additionally, a number of scholars point to racism and other systemized forms of oppression (Miller, 2008; Potter, 2008; West, 2004). Moreover, research has clearly demonstrated that there is a relationship between substance use and IPV. However, the temporal ordering of these variables is not clearly established. In the few studies that have sought to investigate the temporal ordering of these variables, the results are inconsistent, the samples are not nationally-representative, and the investigators failed to fully explore racial and ethnic differences in the experience of substance use and IPV. This oversight is significant given that researchers and service providers are increasingly noting the importance of accounting for and understanding violence and trauma within treatment settings (Elliot et al., 2005). Understanding not only the temporal relationship between substance use and IPV, but also the racial and ethnic differences in these relationships, is critical to developing and refining culturally-sensitive trauma-informed prevention and treatment services for women. (Author Abstract)
Description
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Article
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Keywords
adolescents, youth, young adult, ethnicity, prevalence, incidence, victim services, research
Citation
Nowotny, Kathryn M. ; Graves, Jennifer L. (2013). Substance use and intimate partner violence victimization among White, African American, and Latina women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28(17), 3301-3318.