Alcohol and Partner Aggression
Otago
Bulletin, issue 15, August 2011
A study by Preventive and Social Medicine
researchers that examined the link between
binge drinking and intimate partner
aggression gained attention last month.
Binge drinkers are twice as likely to be aggressors towards their intimate partners.
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The research appeared in the international
journal BMJ Open, and is the first study of
partner aggression and drinking in a sample
of the general population in New Zealand.
Lead author Professor Jennie Connor
said although it is well established that
alcohol increases aggressiveness, it had
not been clear before whether this was a
major influence on patterns of aggression
between partners in this country.
The study included all forms of physical
aggression, not just the most serious, as violence in partnerships commonly
escalates from less severe aggression.
Drinkers who reported having five or
more drinks on an occasion at least once
a month were found to be twice as likely
to be an aggressor and three times as
likely to be a victim of partner aggression,
compared with people who did not binge.
However, it appeared that this was not due
to heavy drinkers being more aggressive
in general, but being more likely to be
involved in aggressive acts when they were
drinking.
5 to 6 Jul New Zealand’s Rhema, Otago
Daily Times, The Press, Southland Times,
NZPA
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