Background
Substance misuse can increase IPV frequency and severity;14,30,31 abuse and dependence are more strongly associated with IPV perpetration than intoxication alone.14
Competing explanations for this association include the pharmacological impairment of cognitive functioning,31 relationship conflict due to substance misuse32,33 and shared risk factors making substance misuse and IPV perpetration more likely [e.g. adverse childhood experiences (ACE), personality disorders].22,34–37 For some, perceived provocations when intoxicated may lead to IPV;14,38 while for others, IPV occurs irrespective of intoxication.39 The strongest correlation between substance misuse and IPV is among perpetrators who endorse male dominance.40–42
How and why substance use is a risk factor for IPV perpetration is poorly understood.43 Perpetrator programmes for men who misuse substances should consider the complex ways that substance misuse contributes.44 Qualitative studies offer insight into the context and motives for IPV. Most studies have focused on survivors’ accounts. Perpetrators’ accounts reveal additional complexities around different meanings attributed to both substance use and IPV and their place in abusive relationships.45
We conducted a meta-ethnography of qualitative studies [WP1(i)] and narrative interviews with male IPV perpetrators receiving substance misuse treatment and their (ex)-partners [WP1(ii)] to explore how substance use features in accounts of IPV perpetration [WP1(ii)].