Substance Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

This chapter will focus on the relationship between intimate partner violence and substance use/abuse. A lot of previous work has been done trying to identify how substance abuse is a potential risk factor for domestic violence perpetrators. IPV survivors are prone to substance abuse which is used as a coping mechanism. Common substances abused include marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol. Alcohol seems to be the most common substance abused by the perpetrators and victims. Healthcare providers should be mindful to screen for intimate partner violence when interviewing their substance patients and thereby providing holistic care for both the substance abuse and IPV.