Montrose Counseling Center - Articles

SUMMARY OF

CORRELATION BETWEEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
AMONG HOMOSEXUAL MEN AND WOMEN

STUDY PERFORMED AND REPORTED BY JACKIE KU
MS STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-HOUSTON
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
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FACULTY SPONSOR: CHARLES FORD, PH.D
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-HOUSTON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
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SUMMARY REPORT PREPARED BY BARBARA BECKER, MPH
AGENCY PRECEPTOR AT MONTROSE COUNSELING CENTER, HOUSTON, TX.

Using closed records of the Montrose Counseling Center (MCC) in Houston, TX, data were collected on 52 subjects to determine the relationship between substance abuse and a history of violence. The subjects were randomly selected from the clients who sought services at MCC from September 1995 to January 1996. MCC is a non-profit community based outpatient mental health service provider which served approximately 1,600 clients in 1995. MCC has been a state-licensed drug and alcohol treatment facility since 1986. Data was collected from the self-administered intake assessment instrument which each client completes during the initial appointment at MCC. MCC primarily serves the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities of Houston.

Fifty-eight percent of the subjects were male. Thirty-one percent had attended college for at least one year. Forty-two percent were unemployed, with twenty-seven percent of those who were employed earning less than $15,000 per year.

Seventy-six percent of the subjects had used alcohol or drugs at some time in their lives. The most commonly used substance was alcohol (53%). Among the other substances the subjects reported using were: marijuana (29%), sedatives (13%), and cocaine or barbiturates (10%).

The study separated abuse into two major categories: childhood abuse and adult abuse. Four types of abuse in each category were studied: sexual abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, and non-sexual physical abuse.

Under the category of childhood abuse, 75% of the subjects reported emotional abuse, 73% reported verbal abuse, 38% reported sexual abuse, and 33% reported non-sexual physical abuse.

Under the category of adult abuse, 42% of the subjects reported both verbal and emotional abuse in a love relationship. Physical abuse in a love relationship was reported by 27% of the subjects and 10% reported sexual abuse by partners.

Due to the limited amount of data collected, no chi-square values are reported. However, there was a positive correlation found between the history of violence and substance abuse such that as the types and categories of violence experienced by the clients increased, so did their reported history of substance abuse.