The relation between interpersonal violence and substance use among a sample of university students: Examination of the role of victim and perpetrator substance use

Objective: To examine the relation between interpersonal violence and substance use and to describe the role of victim and perpetrator substance use within such incidents among university students. Methods: A random sample of students (N = 1197) participating in this cross-sectional study completed an online survey. Logistic regression models assessed the relation between substance use and sexual and physical victimization. Victim and perpetrator substance use at the time of incident were described. Results: Females were more likely to report sexual violence compared to males. whereas males were more likely to report physical victimization (p's<0.05). In logistic regression models, all forms of substance use were significantly associated with physical victimization among males (OR's = 2.0-5.1). Among females, most forms of substance use were associated with sexual victimization (OR's = 2.4-4.7). Both males and females reported high rates of perpetrator and own substance use during victimization incidents. Conclusions: Findings suggest that previous documentation among victimization studies of a relation between substance use and subsequent risk for victimization may also be attributable to the substance use behavior of the perpetrator. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.