Citation

Brewer DD, Fleming CB, Haggerty KP. Am. J. Public Health 2005; 95(9): 1493.

Affiliation

Interdisciplinary Scientific Research, Seattle, WA; Social Development Research Group, University of Washington, Seattle,Wa, USA. (dbrewr@interscientific.net)

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2005.069070

PMID

16051926

PMCID

PMC1449382

Abstract

In the March 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health (p468), El-Bassel et al. state that their study "is the first longitudinal investigation of the causal relationship between frequent drug use and IPV [intimate partner violence] among a random sample of women attending MMTPs [methadone maintenance treatment programs]." El-Bassel and colleagues' report is an important contribution to the literature; however, this statement gives the incorrect impression that the relationship between drug use and IPV had not previously been studied longitudinally. In our sample of opiate-dependent women in Seattle methadone treatment programs, crack use and use of other types of cocaine were the only meaningful longitudinal drug use predictors of IPV victimization (Violence and Victims, 1998;13:107-115). Alcohol, heroin, and marijuana use were unrelated to IPV victimization. In contrast to El-Bassel et al., we used continuous measures of drug use and controlled for IPV victimization at time 1 in analyses of IPV victimization at time 2.

Given El-Bassel et al.'s replication of this longitudinal association, useful next steps include examining the temporal relationship between specific incidents of crack use and IPV and gathering perpetrators' perceptions of the factors precipitating their violence. Such research would permit a more direct evaluation of the mechanisms underlying this relationship.