Intimate partner violence among hispanic men and women: the role of drinking, neighborhood disorder, and acculturation-related factors

Violence Vict. 2009;24(1):83-97. doi: 10.1891/0886-6708.24.1.83.

Abstract

Using secondary data analysis, this study assessed the contribution of drinking, neighborhood disorder, and acculturation-related factors to past-year intimate partner violence (IPV) risk among a national sample of married or cohabiting Hispanic men (n = 1,148) and women (n = 1,399) who participated in the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Drinking measures were past-year alcohol abuse, past-month binge drinking, and number of past-year drinking days. Neighborhood disorder was measured by perceived level of neighborhood problems. Acculturation-related factors were nativity and survey interview language preference (Spanish vs. English). Similar proportions of men and women reported IPV perpetration (6.1% vs. 6.5%) and IPV victimization (8.8% vs. 7.8%). Logistic regression results indicated that for men, neighborhood disorder was associated with IPV perpetration (odds ratio [OR] = 1.55) and victimization (OR = 1.36). For women, neighborhood disorder (OR = 1.34) and their alcohol abuse (OR = 10.26) were associated with IPV victimization, but not IPV perpetration. Acculturation-related factors were not associated with IPV perpetration or victimization for men or women. The findings suggest that IPV prevention efforts should address deleterious neighborhood conditions in addition to individual-level factors that place couples at risk for IPV.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Acculturation*
  • Adult
  • Alcohol Drinking / ethnology*
  • Battered Women / psychology*
  • Battered Women / statistics & numerical data
  • California / epidemiology
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Crime Victims / psychology*
  • Crime Victims / statistics & numerical data
  • Cultural Characteristics
  • Female
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Odds Ratio
  • Spouse Abuse / ethnology*
  • Spouse Abuse / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult