The relationship between women's drug use and family violence will be examined. Family violence is defined in this study as childhood violence by parents, childhood sexual abuse (whether familial or nonfamilial), and adulthood partner violence. The three specific aims of the project are: 1) What is the relative contribution of childhood violence to the use of drugs for women?; 2) What is the relationship between partner violence and drug use for women? and 3) How do experience of family violence differ for drug-using women versus women who abuse alcohol? Women with a range of drug use and family violence will be recruited from the following sources in Buffalo, New York: 1) women in drug treatment, 2) women receiving services for severe partner violence, and 3) women from the community, matched by residence to the women in both treatment samples. In order to examine the impact of childhood violence on lifetime drug use, and to examine the ongoing relationships between partner violence and drug use, women will participate in a series of 4 face-to- face interviews conducted every 6 months over an 18-month time span. During the first interview (divided into two sessions), questions will focus on childhood violence and lifetime experiences of partner violence and drug use over the past 6 months. Information about alcohol use, drug and alcohol problems, mental health, utilization of community resources, parental and partner alcohol and drug problems, delinquent and criminal activities, and demographics for current and childhood family will also be collected as control variables. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data will be analyzed in multivariate formats, with control variables entered as covariates.
| Hequembourg, Amy; Mancuso, Richard; Miller, Brenda (2006) A comparative study examining associations between women's drug-related lifestyle factors and victimization within the family. Violence Vict 21:231-46 |
| Browne, A; Miller, B; Maguin, E (1999) Prevalence and severity of lifetime physical and sexual victimization among incarcerated women. Int J Law Psychiatry 22:301-22 |
