Introduction
The aim of this study is to assess whether drug use in a domestic violence situation alters perception of who is at fault in the situation. The anticipated results of this study believe that drug use among the victims in a domestic violence situation will lead outside individuals to believe the victim had some sort of fault in the situation. In other words, researchers believe that drugs impact outside perception of the victim in a domestic violence situation and whether or not they are actually at fault.
Literature Review
There is extensive research when it comes to the relationship between drugs and the perception of domestic violence. However, drug and alcohol abuse among the victims has rarely been studied. However, it is believed that drugs and alcohol do have an outside person’s perception regard domestic violence situations (Logan, 2010, p. 1365).
There are several problems that are associated when the victim of a domestic violence situation is under the influence of drugs. Drugs and alcohol use may make it difficult for an alleged victim of domestic violence to recollect the events or complaints that lead to the domestic situation. Alcohol and drug use may alter a victim’s perception of a situation or may make the situation escalate in itself (O’Brien, 2007, p. 395). For example, an intoxicated individual may become agitate over a small disagreement, and in return, call 911 with allegations of domestic violence. Drugs and alcohol may make an individual allege certain allegations in order to get back at the individual or win an argument. Furthermore, victims under the influence may not be able to give an explanation of the circumstances due to their impairment. As a result, individuals may get arrested for domestic violence when no domestic violence even existed. This are past issues that have resulted from a victim of a domestic violence case being under the influence of drugs. As a result, others may perceive a situation differently or express their own personal biases when the victim is under the influence of drugs (Sansone, 2006, p. 18).
Research has shown that a significant number of victims of domestic violence abuse drugs or alcohol. In one study conducted at an Illinois shelter for domestic violence estimated that as many as forty-two percent of their clients have drug or alcohol problems. There are several reasons for this. First, being under the influence may make the victim gain a sense of power over their own world. Also, victimization may lead to guilt, shame, depression and powerlessness. All of these emotions provide a foundation when it comes to the development of substance abuse. Lastly, alcohol and drugs may make it more difficult to leave a violent relationship due to their cognitive and physical impairments. Certain domestic violence shelters may deny these victims due to them being under the influence. Making it even more difficult for these individuals to leave the domestic violence cycle. Thus, the domestic violence situation keeps circulating and only becomes worse (Safety and Sobriety Manual, 2005).
“Minor physical violence from a perpetrator in the past year were three times more likely to have been high on drugs and twice as likely to have been inebriated in the past year in comparison to women not reporting violence” (Lee, Ju & Lightfoot, 2010, p. 5). Studies such as these convey that the outcome of a domestic violence situation for a victim may be partially related to victims substance use. The most common theoretical explanation for this relationship is the proximal effects model. “The proximal effects model suggest that there is a combination of physiological and psychological processes related to substance use that can lead to violence” (p. 5). This is due to the fact that drugs and alcohol influences different brain functioning, such as information processing and misjudging social cues. This can lead a perpetrator to participate in violence behavior. Thus, it can be presumed that the victim has some fault in the situation. This can have an impact on how others views the situation at hand and whether or not the victim is at fault. In most cases, drugs and alcohol will make an outside individual perceive the victim having some sort of fault in the domestic dispute. In other words, a victim under the influence of drugs can make an officer question the reliability of the victim’s statements and alter their perception of who really is at fault in the domestic dispute (p. 5).
Method
Participants
This study requires random participants at Holyoke Community College. These participants must be randomly selected throughout the college in order to eliminate bias with the sample. These individuals should be given a basic questionnaire before participating in the study. This questionnaire consists of questions that can help researchers understand the views the individuals has on domestic violence before participating in the study. These questions ask the participants questions regarding how they view different domestic violence situations and the causes that provoke these types of situations.
Procedure
This experimental study is aimed at discovering whether or not drug involvement effects people’s perception of a domestic violence situation. Students of Holyoke Community College should be randomly presented with two different scenarios in regards to domestic violence. The first scenario depicts a domestic violence situation in which the victim is under the influence of drugs and the second scenario should conceive a situation where the victim is not under the influence of drugs. The scenarios should be relatively similar, except the fact one scenario includes drug use and the other scenario does not.
After the participants read through the scenarios, they should then be given a questionnaire to fill out regarding each of the scenarios. The questions should be dictated based on fault. The questionnaire should ask the participants questions in regard to which one of the parties was at fault. If the participant believes both parties are at fault, then a scale should be given so the participant can measure how much fault he believes each party was in throughout the situation. These questionnaires will then give researchers insight as to whether or not drug use in a situation alters perception when it comes to fault.
The survey should be designed in order to assess the impact that outside individual’s perception have in a domestic violence situation. Questions should include information regarding how third parties interpreted the situation and whether or not outside parties believed the victim to be a fault or partially at fault for the situation. Questions should also be asked regarding how the participants felt about the situation. Whether or not outside individuals saw the victim at fault due to the fact that the victim is under the influence of drugs. By analyzing the results of these surveys, researchers should be able to tell whether drugs effect how others perceive fault in domestic violence cases.
Materials
After the participants have read about the domestic violence situations, they should be given a questionnaire in order for researchers to analyze how they perceived the different situations. The questionnaire should ask questions regarding who they feel was at fault in the situation. The questionnaire should also consist of scales where participants can measure how much fault they believe the victim was in during the situation. Participants can utilize the scales in order to compare the fault of each party in the domestic violence situation.
Questionnaires should be anonymously collected in order for researchers to gain insight on how the participants viewed the domestic violence situation. By collecting this information, researchers can analyze differences between outside individual’s responses and perception when drugs are involved in a domestic violence situation and when they are not.
This questionnaire should be in closed format. Questions should be given in multiple choice format, where the respondents are restricted to choosing certain answers. This gives the researchers the ability to tell whether or not the participant perceives the victim at being at fault when they are under the influence of drugs. Closed format questionnaires restrict the amount of answers the participant can answer, making it easier for researchers to get a direct answer regarding the situation.
Expected Results
It is believed that researchers will find that drug use by the victim in a domestic violence situation will encourage the participants to view the victim at being at fault somehow. With the use of questionnaires, research should see a connection when it comes to drug use by the victim in a domestic situation and the victim being viewed as being at fault. By using these questionnaires, researchers are able to dictate what perceptions the participants have on different domestic violence situations before the study, as well as after the study. This allows a researcher to see how drugs truly impact the perception of fault within a domestic violence situation.
References
Lee, H., Ju, E. & Lightfoot, E. (2010). The role of substance use by both perpetrators and victims in intimate partner violence outcomes. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 10, 3-24.
Logan, T. (2010). Police attitudes toward domestic violence offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21(10), 1365-1374.
O’Brien, P. (2007). Effects of coordinated services for drug-abusing women who are victims of intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 13(4), 395-411.
Safety and Sobriety Manual (2005). Addressing substance abuse in domestic violence agencies. Illinois Department of Human Services, http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=38459
Sansone, R. (2006). Female victims of domestic violence and alcohol/drug misuse. Psychiatry, 3(2), 18-20.
