Intimate Partner Violence and Use of Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services Among a National Sample

Objectives: This study examined the bivariate associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) type (victimization and perpetration) and seeking alcohol and substance abuse treatment, and the unique association between IPV and treatment seeking when controlling for cooccurring anxiety and mood disorders and alcohol and substance use disorders. Methods: Data were derived from wave 2 of the National Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Individuals who reported being in a relationship in the past year and who endorsed >= 1 alcohol or drug problems during the prior year were included in the analyses. Separate models were used to examine the associations between IPV and alcohol and substance use treatment. Results: Findings suggest that individuals who endorsed IPV perpetration [odds ratios (OR) = 1.73; confidence interval (CI), 1.40-2.14] and victimization (OR = 2.38; CI, 1.98-2.86) were more likely to have sought alcohol treatment than those who did not endorse those types of IPV. IPV perpetration (OR = 1.75; CI, 1.26-2.43) and IPV victimization (OR = 1.61; CI, 1.10-2.34) were associated with a significant increase in the odds of seeking drug treatment. Results from logistic regressions controlling for covariates, including demographic variables and psychiatric disorders, revealed that only IPV victimization was significantly associated with alcohol treatment utilization (OR = 1.11, P < 0.01). Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of assessing IPV among those seeking alcohol treatment.