Drinking problems remained a risk factor for reoffending even among men with stronger social skills

Intimate partner violence carried a risk factor of continued drinking problems even among men with stronger social skills, according to a study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology. Researchers from the University of Regina in Canada examined data from 7,781 men who perpetrated such violence and started community supervision in Alberta between 2009 and 2012.

The study found that alcohol use was widespread among the men, with 93% drinking and about a third drinking daily. For roughly half of the men, alcohol contributed to their criminal behavior, and for 27% it disrupted their functioning. Within three years, 38% had some form of recidivism and 20% had a new violent offense. Higher odds of recidivism and violent recidivism were associated with alcohol disrupting functioning and alcohol-related criminal behavior.

Frequent drinking increased the odds of any recidivism, but not violent recidivism. Impulsivity and weaker goal-setting were linked to higher odds of both types of recidivism. Surprisingly, men with strong perspective-taking and consequential thinking skills had higher odds of violent recidivism. Researchers suggest that alcohol problems and skill deficits can independently increase reoffending risk, but the two factors did not interact to produce an extra increase in risk.

The models explained only a small portion of the variation in recidivism, highlighting the complexity of the issue. The authors recommend screening for both alcohol problems and social and cognitive skills when people enter supervision and incorporating alcohol treatment into programs for intimate partner violence.