Marital breakup and violent victimization of women who divorce men with alcohol issues

Abstract Background There is prior evidence to suggest that the time of greatest risk for partner violence for women is during the last year of marriage, when divorce is usually filed for. At the population level, the elevated risk of violence tends to decrease with time since divorce. However, there is a lack of evidence on whether women's victimization trajectories surrounding divorce vary according to whether their husbands have alcohol issues. By identifying specific patterns of victimization linked to men's alcohol use, social services could develop targeted support systems for women at risk. Methods Using Finnish dyadic record-linkage data of divorcing women and their husbands, we assessed changes in crime victimization for partner violence--specifically, police-reported assaults committed by husbands against their wives--over three years before and after divorce, depending on whether the husband had alcohol issues. Alcohol issues were measured using police records of a history of driving under the influence of alcohol. The study used repeated-measures logistic regression analyses. Results The preliminary findings suggest that divorcing women married to men with alcohol issues experienced extremely high levels of violent victimization during the last three years of their marriage but appeared to experience drastic decreases once the divorce was finalized. Conclusions By demonstrating that wives of men with alcohol issues are especially vulnerable during their marriage--and not only shortly before divorce--the study may enable better identification of women who may be in danger. Key messages • Women who divorce men with alcohol issues face high levels of violence during their marriage. • The study may enable better identification of women who may be in danger.