Association of Intimate Partner Violence With Substance Use Among Adults in Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Partnerships

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked to harmful drug use, especially in same-sex romantic partnerships, yet few studies use longitudinal data to evaluate this association over the life course. This study used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine how IPV reported in Wave IV (2006–2008) relates to non-medical prescription and illicit drug use (drug use) in Wave V (2016–2018), stratified by same- and opposite-sex partnerships. Risk ratios (RR) adjusted for race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, age at IPV, prior substance use, child maltreatment, socioeconomic status, and social support were calculated. Sensitivity analyses additionally adjusted for gender and IPV type (physical or sexual). Among 7,318 participants, 23.0% reported experiences of IPV, 16.5% reported IPV perpetration, 13.7% reported both IPV experiences and perpetration and 13.4% reported drug use in Wave V. Same-sex partnership participants had higher prevalences of IPV experiences and perpetration (13.5% vs. 11.3%) and drug use (21.6% vs. 13.2%) than opposite-sex partnership participants. Overall, participants who reported IPV experiences only (RR = 1.27, 95% CI [0.99, 1.63]) and both IPV experiences and perpetration (RR = 1.27 [1.04, 1.56]) had higher relative risks of drug use than those who did not report any IPV. Results were similar by partnership type, with the exception that those in same-sex partnership who perpetrated IPV had a higher relative risk of drug use than those who did not report any IPV (RR = 1.22 [0.16, 9.04]). Participants who identified as female and experienced IPV (RR = 1.40 [1.03, 1.90]) or both experienced and perpetrated IPV (RR = 1.51 [1.19, 1.91]) also had a higher relative risk of drug use compared to females who did not experience or perpetrate IPV. These findings emphasize the need for tailored IPV and drug use interventions based on gender and type of romantic partnership.