Substance use and victimization during adolescence. Is teen dating violence a risk factor for harmful coping strategies?

Background. Teen dating violence is discussed as a potential risk factor for harmful behaviour. For prevention strategies it is interesting to see the extent to which evidence can be found in epidemiological studies. Methods. We searched the databases CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science as well as in the free web for longitudinal studies which examined substance consumption as a result of teen dating violence. Results. Seven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Each one study described teen dating violence to increase marijuana consumption among girls (odds ratio [OR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.22-3.70) and boys (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.03-1.74), two studies with mixed sex population in boys (class 8: b = 0.55, p < 0.01; class 12: b = 1.14, p < 0.001) and in both sexes (ERR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.96-1.52; ERR = 1.30, 95% CI 0.81-2.11). Four studies observed increased consumption of tobacco in mixed sex group populations (B = 0.31, SE = 0.14, p < 0.03), in girls (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.39-3.74; OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.13-2.06; OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.07-4.35) or boys (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.16-7.95), whereas alcohol consumption was measured in 2 studies: in girls (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.03-1.74) and in mixed sex study populations (B = 0.25, SE = 0.14; p < 0.5). Two studies described an increased substance dependence in girls (beta = 0.16; CI 0.06-0.26) and in mixed sex study population (OR = 10.61; p < 0.011). Conclusion. The low effect dimensions, limitations caused by the study design and the lack of consideration of confounders presuppose that such interpersonal violence cannot be considered as a risk factor.