Using arrest and prescription data to examine the relationship between intimate partner violence and opioid prescriptions in the United States, 2006-2012.

BACKGROUND: Research has established a strong and positive correlation between substance use and intimate partner violence due to a complex interplay of individual, situational, and contextual factors. This study seeks to further explore this relationship in the context of the recent opioid crisis in which millions of Americans have been diagnosed with an opioid use disorder. Specifically, we analyze how opioid prescriptions relate to intimate partner violence within and between counties over time throughout the rise of the opioid crisis.
METHODS: This study employs an integrated dataset that merges crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, demographic data from the American Community Survey, and prescription opioid pill counts from the Drug Enforcement Administration to study the relationship between opioid pills prescribed per person and levels of intimate partner violence arrests from 2006-2012. Fixed-effects and mixed-effects techniques are both used.
RESULTS: Increases in opioid pill distribution volume within-counties over time are related to increases in intimate partner violence arrest volume (p ≤ .001). Additionally, counties which have higher amounts of opioid pills in circulation tend to experience higher levels of arrests for intimate partner violence than counties with fewer pills (p ≤ .001).
CONCLUSIONS: Policymakers who are dealing with the effects of the opioid crisis should consider the relationship between opioids and intimate partner violence when attempting to address either of these issues. Based on the results of this study, addressing opioid dependence and mitigating the extent of the crisis may also reduce intimate partner violence.