Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence

Background: Women have generally been found to be the victims of violence, but scant attention has been paid to the characteristics of women who perpetrate aggression and violence. In South Africa, violence is a prevalent societal issue, especially in the Western Cape. Method: This study aimed a...

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Main Authors: Carney, T., Myers-Franchi, Bronwyn, Kline, T.L., Johnson, K., Wechsberg, W.M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/85649
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author Carney, T.
Myers-Franchi, Bronwyn
Kline, T.L.
Johnson, K.
Wechsberg, W.M.
author_facet Carney, T.
Myers-Franchi, Bronwyn
Kline, T.L.
Johnson, K.
Wechsberg, W.M.
author_sort Carney, T.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: Women have generally been found to be the victims of violence, but scant attention has been paid to the characteristics of women who perpetrate aggression and violence. In South Africa, violence is a prevalent societal issue, especially in the Western Cape. Method: This study aimed at identifying factors that were associated with aggression among a sample of 720 substance-using women. We conducted multivariate logistic regression to identify factors that are significantly associated with these behaviours. Results: Ethnicity (Wald X2 = 17.07(2), p < 0.01) and heavy drinking (Wald X2 = 6.60 (2), p = 0.01) were significantly related to verbal aggression, methamphetamine use was significantly related to physical (Wald X2 = 2.73 (2), p = 0.01) and weapon aggression (Wald X2 = 7.94 (2), p < 0.01) and intimate partner violence was significantly related to verbal (Wald X2 = 12.43 (2), p < 0.01) and physical aggression (Wald X2 = 25.92 (2), p < 0.01). Conclusions: The findings show high levels of aggression among this sample, and highlight the need for interventions that address methamphetamine, heavy drinking and intimate partner violence among vulnerable substance-using women.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-856492021-10-22T00:23:47Z Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence Carney, T. Myers-Franchi, Bronwyn Kline, T.L. Johnson, K. Wechsberg, W.M. Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Obstetrics & Gynecology Substance use Aggression Violence Women South Africa SUBSTANCE USE SEXUAL RISK HEALTH GENDER ASSOCIATION EXPERIENCES PREVALENCE INJURIES AGENDA Background: Women have generally been found to be the victims of violence, but scant attention has been paid to the characteristics of women who perpetrate aggression and violence. In South Africa, violence is a prevalent societal issue, especially in the Western Cape. Method: This study aimed at identifying factors that were associated with aggression among a sample of 720 substance-using women. We conducted multivariate logistic regression to identify factors that are significantly associated with these behaviours. Results: Ethnicity (Wald X2 = 17.07(2), p < 0.01) and heavy drinking (Wald X2 = 6.60 (2), p = 0.01) were significantly related to verbal aggression, methamphetamine use was significantly related to physical (Wald X2 = 2.73 (2), p = 0.01) and weapon aggression (Wald X2 = 7.94 (2), p < 0.01) and intimate partner violence was significantly related to verbal (Wald X2 = 12.43 (2), p < 0.01) and physical aggression (Wald X2 = 25.92 (2), p < 0.01). Conclusions: The findings show high levels of aggression among this sample, and highlight the need for interventions that address methamphetamine, heavy drinking and intimate partner violence among vulnerable substance-using women. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/85649 10.1186/s12905-017-0447-2 English http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ BMC fulltext
spellingShingle Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Substance use
Aggression
Violence
Women
South Africa
SUBSTANCE USE
SEXUAL RISK
HEALTH
GENDER
ASSOCIATION
EXPERIENCES
PREVALENCE
INJURIES
AGENDA
Carney, T.
Myers-Franchi, Bronwyn
Kline, T.L.
Johnson, K.
Wechsberg, W.M.
Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence
title Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence
title_full Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence
title_fullStr Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence
title_full_unstemmed Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence
title_short Aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from Cape Town, South Africa: Ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence
title_sort aggressive behaviour among drug-using women from cape town, south africa: ethnicity, heavy alcohol use, methamphetamine and intimate partner violence
topic Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Substance use
Aggression
Violence
Women
South Africa
SUBSTANCE USE
SEXUAL RISK
HEALTH
GENDER
ASSOCIATION
EXPERIENCES
PREVALENCE
INJURIES
AGENDA
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/85649