Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence Among Drug Using Women (original) (raw)

Following from growing concern with the ro le of violence in intimate relationships, this paper examines the relationshi p between partner violence dynamics and illici t drug use among women in Hartford, CT. Based on an inte rview sample of 497 street-recruited, not-in-treatment, drug-i nvolved women, the paper compares drug use and health ri sk among women in four types of relatio nshi ps: I) those without selfreported viole nce; 2) those in which there is violence targeted at a female partner; 3) those in which the v io lence is perpetrated by the female partner; and 4) those in whi c h the re is bi -directional or mutual violence. Findings suggest that drug treatme nt programs that serve women should therape utically address the issue of intimate partner violence.