![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
SUMMARY
Violence and substance abuse within families has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. To help illuminate this issue, this study investigated the suspected association between family fighting and substance use taking into consideration individual, social and environmental factors. Estimates of the association between family fighting and illegal drug use were obtained using a convenience sample of 289 adults that completed substance abuse treatment in Florida. The data were collected via a Computerized Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) method during the summer of 1999. Illegal drug use was positively associated with frequent family fighting (OR = 4.53; 95% CI = 1.89–10.82) and inversely associated with social support (OR = .49; 95% CI = 1.00–1.13), even after adjustments for demographic and other social characteristics were considered. Practice implications include the need for integrated treatment services, interventions utilizing social support systems and aftercare services to ensure treatment adherence.