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Cited by 120Intimate Partner and Family ViolenceSubstance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesCrime Patterns and Interventions

Does the Alcohol Make Them Do It? Dating Violence Perpetration and Drinking Among Youth

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Rothman, E. F., McNaughton Reyes, L., Johnson, R. M., LaValley, M.·2012·Epidemiologic Reviews
DOI 10.1093/epirev/mxr027PMC PMC3276314
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Abstract

Strong evidence links alcohol use to partner violence perpetration among adults, but the relation between youth alcohol use and dating violence perpetration (DVP) is not as well studied. The authors used meta-analytic procedures to evaluate current knowledge on the association between alcohol use and DVP among youth. The authors reviewed 28 studies published in 1985-2010; most (82%) were cross-sectional. Alcohol use was measured in 3 main ways: 1) frequency or quantity of use, 2) frequency of heavy episodic drinking, or 3) problem use. Collectively, results support the conclusion that higher levels of alcohol use are positively associated with youth DVP. With fixed-effects models, the combined odds ratios for DVP for frequency/quantity, heavy episodic drinking, and problem use were 1.23 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16, 1.31), 1.47 (95% CI: 1.17, 1.85), and 2.33 (95% CI: 1.94, 2.80), respectively. This association persisted even after accounting for heterogeneity and publication bias. No studies were designed to assess the immediate temporal association between drinking and DVP. Future research should assess whether there are acute or pharmacologic effects of alcohol use on youth DVP. Furthermore, few studies have been hypothesis driven, controlled for potential confounding, or examined potential effect measure modification. Studies designed to investigate the youth alcohol-DVP link specifically, and whether results vary by individuals' gender, developmental stage, or culture, are needed.

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  • Alcohol use is a well-established risk and instigatory factor for dating aggression.

    “alcohol use is a well-documented risk and instigatory factor for dating aggression (Finkel et al., 2012; Rothman, McNaughton Reyes, et al., 2012; Shorey, Stuart, & Cornelius, 2011).”

    From Understanding the Role of Alcohol, Anxiety, and Trait Mindfulness in the Perpetration of Physical and Sexual Dating Violence in Emerging Adults. (2018) · cites this paper as Rothman, McNaughton Reyes, et al., 2012

    The Conclusion reports that higher alcohol use is positively associated with dating violence perpetration among youth. It also says no studies directly assessed alcohol’s acute or pharmacologic effects on that behavior, so this source does not establish alcohol as an instigatory factor. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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Authors
Rothman, E. F., McNaughton Reyes, L., Johnson, R. M., & LaValley, M.
Affiliations
Boston University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Epidemiologic Reviews
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2011-11-29
Volume
34
Issue
1
Pages
103-119
ISSN
  • 0193-936X (ISSN-L)
  • 1478-6729
DOI
10.1093/epirev/mxr027
PMC
PMC3276314
OpenAlex
W2100721206
Cited by
120
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 5
FWCI
1.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Epidemiologic Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • UNC Libraries
Funders
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (K01AA017630)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R03DA025823, K01DA031738, T32DA007292)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
Keywords
dating violence perpetration, adolescent alcohol use, binge drinking, problem drinking, intimate partner violence, alcohol-related violence
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Alcoholism, Child, Courtship, Female, Humans, Male, Violence, Young Adult

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