Unhappy Hours: Alcohol and Partner Aggresion in the Americas

Abstract

[Introduction]. This book expands on findings from the multicentric study by focusing specifically on alcohol consumption and partner violence. Each country chapter analyzes data using the same variables related to alcohol consumption and partner aggression, but interprets results considering each country’s cultural framework. This book presents, for the first time, a comparative and international analysis of alcohol consumption and partner aggression with a gender perspective. It demonstrates that despite the large differences between countries and cultures, there are some commonalities and trends across countries regarding the relationship between alcohol and partner violence. In particular, the findings described here indicate that partner violence is associated with younger ages in all countries, and that partners in common–law relationships were especially at risk in most countries. Women reported being victims of more severe aggression than men reported, and female victims reported greater fear, anger and upset. With regard to alcohol, men in all countries were more likely than women to have been drinking at the time of the partner aggression incident. Both men and women who were victims or perpetrators of partner aggression were more likely to be drinkers than abstainers and, among drinkers, were more likely to report drinking larger amounts per occasion. At the same time, given the variations found across countries in the prevalence of violent behavior by men against women, the role of cultures’ and societies’ expectations about gender and about alcohol’s effects also play a role in this relationship. These findings have implications for policies, awareness campaigns, and services for men and women involved in partner aggression...