Drinking Among Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

As many as 1/3 of women in the general population and 50% of women seen in primary care experience abuse by an intimate partner during adulthood. The consequences of having experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) are quite alarming. Female IPV victims represent one of the largest traumatised populations in the United States. Over 60% of women who present to domestic violence shelters meet criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Alcohol use among female victims of IPV is common in the form of heavy, moderate or episodic drinking and appears to be both an outcome of and a risk factor for trauma. This book reviews the problems commonly associated with IPV, psychosocial treatments designed to help IPV victims, and research regarding the relationship between drinking and IPV.