NCJ Number
210049
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 19 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 521-540
Date Published
October 2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This longitudinal study examined whether alcohol and marijuana use in young adulthood increase the risk in experiencing subsequent sexual or physical assault victimization.
Abstract
Using data from 2,170 men and women who participated in Waves 8 (age 23) and 9 (age 29) of a multiyear longitudinal panel study, this study’s primary objective was to provide a prospective assessment of the link between substance use and two forms of victimization, sexual and physical assault. Specifically, the study examined (1) whether alcohol and marijuana use in young adulthood increase one’s subsequent risk for experiencing sexual or physical assault victimizations, (2) whether involvement in the sale of drugs or victims’ own violent behavior explain any observed effects of substance use on sexual or physical assault victimization, and (3) whether the effects of substance use on victimization risk, or the processes by which they are linked, differ by gender. Participants completed self-administered surveys at Waves 8 and 9. It was found that marijuana use, but not alcohol use, increased the likelihood of subsequent sexual and physical assault victimization among men as well as the likelihood of subsequent sexual victimization among women. The results are consistent with those of a national study of women that found marijuana and hard drug use, but not alcohol use, to be perspective predictors of being violently assaulted. References