Problem Drinking, Unemployment, and Intimate Partner Violence Among a Sample of Construction Industry Workers and Their Partners

• NCJ Number: 226012
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 24 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2009 Pages: 63-74
• Author(s): Carol B. Cunradi; Michael Todd; Michael Duke; Genevieve Ames
• Date Published: February 2009
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 5 R01 AA015444
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study of intimate partner violence (IPV) among a sample of construction-industry workers (n=848 couples) examined whether there was a link between male unemployment and each partner’s problem drinking and the risk for male-to-female partner violence (MFPV) and female-to-male partner violence (FMPV).

Abstract

Approximately 20 percent of the couples reported MFPV, and 24 percent reported FMPV, as measured by the physical assault subscale of the revised Conflict Tactics Scales. When the man was a problem drinker and also reported being currently unemployed, the couple was at increased risk for MFPV. The number of months the man was unemployed was significantly associated with FMPV, but problem drinking was not associated with this outcome. Apparently, as the number of months of the man’s unemployment increased, cumulating stress resulted in female aggression against the male. Male and female impulsivity were significantly associated with risk for both MFPV and FMPV. Also, a man reporting adverse childhood events was associated with an increased likelihood of MFPV. There was no evidence that the effects of unemployment were exacerbated by problem drinking. Couples in which the man’s race/ethnicity was categorized as Black were at increased risk for FMPV compared to couples in which the man’s race/ethnicity was categorized as “other.” This finding is consistent with prior research. The study was conducted with the cooperation of a large union representing construction-industry workers in Northern California. Survey data collection was conducted from August 2006 through January 2007. IPV was measured with the physical assault subscale of the revised Conflict Tactics Scales. Other questions in the survey measured self-reported problem drinking, interpersonal conflict at work, impulsivity, adverse childhood experiences, and sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression models of MFPV and FMPV, with adjustment for demographic and psychosocial variables, were developed. 4 tables and 76 references