Alcohol Use and Latent Profiles of Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread social problem that is associated with alcohol misuse. Victim-survivors (n = 1,045) were interviewed after police-involved IPV incidents. Latent profile analysis resulted in 2 classes of IPV perpetrators. The severe IPV class was characterized by more frequent and severe physical violence, stalking and harassment, risk of future homicide, and increased psychological consequences of IPV for the victim-survivor. Logistic regression found that the frequency of perpetrator alcohol misuse was associated with membership in the severe IPV class. Social workers must intervene effectively when cooccurring alcohol misuse and IPV perpetration are present.