The Co-Occurrence of Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence: A Comparison of Dual-Problem Men in Substance Abuse Treatment and in a Court-Ordered Batterer Program

Abstract

Substance abuse and domestic violence tend to co-occur in about half of the men seen in either substance abuse treatment or batterer intervention programs. The existence of so many dual-problem men suggests that screening for co-occurring problems should occur in all settings serving either substance abusers or batterers, but this is not the case. This study sampled 49 men in treatment at a publicly funded substance abuse treatment center who self-reported battering and 84 men adjudicated for battering who met eligibility criteria for substance abuse. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test hypotheses that dual-problem men in substance abuse treatment would show significantly greater levels of substance abuse behavior than dual-problem men in batterer intervention, but that no differences in domestic violence would be found between the 2 groups. Both hypotheses were supported. Implications for social work practice, including the need for collaboration across fields, universal screening for both problems, and the implementation of interventions specifically designed for dual-problem men, are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• addictions
• alcohol
• co-ocurrence
• domestic violence
• dual-problem men
• partner abuse
• substance abuse
• treatment setting