A Canadian study led by researchers from the University of Regina has found that among men who perpetrated intimate partner violence, problematic alcohol use and deficits in social and cognitive skills each increase the risk of reoffending, but the two factors do not multiply the danger. The analysis used data from 7,781 men in Alberta who began community supervision between 2009 and 2012.
Alcohol use was widespread in the sample. About 93 per cent reported drinking, with roughly a third consuming alcohol on three or more days each week. For about half of the men, alcohol contributed to their criminal behaviour, and for 27 per cent it disrupted their functioning in work, family life or health. Within three years, 38 per cent had some form of recidivism and 20 per cent had a new violent offence.
The study was led by Crystal J. Giesbrecht and Kaila C. Bruer of the University of Regina. Researchers drew on the Service Planning Instrument, a risk assessment completed by correctional staff when a person begins community supervision, using interviews, criminal records and information from relatives, employers and others. They then tracked whether the men had any recidivism within three years, including new charges and breaches of release conditions, as well as new violent offences such as assault or threats.
Alcohol use was measured in three ways: frequency of drinking, whether drinking disrupted functioning across life domains, and whether alcohol use contributed to criminal behaviour. Eight social and cognitive skills were rated by staff—impulsivity, hostile attributions (interpreting neutral actions as hostile), consequential thinking, perspective-taking, problem-solving, behavioural control, interpersonal skills, and goal-setting and planning—and each was classified as a risk area or not.
Among the key findings, drinking that disrupted daily functioning was linked to about 27 per cent higher odds of any recidivism and 28 per cent higher odds of a violent offence. Frequent drinking raised the odds of any recidivism, though it did not show the same association with violent recidivism.
In terms of skills, participants rated as having problems with impulsivity were more likely to reoffend in both categories, and weaker goal-setting and planning was associated with any recidivism. Hostile attributions were linked to higher odds of violent reoffending. By contrast, problem-solving, behavioural control and interpersonal skills were not reliably related to either outcome after accounting for other factors.
Two results diverged from expectations. Men with no problems with perspective-taking had higher odds of both any and violent recidivism, and those with no problems in consequential thinking had higher odds of violent recidivism. The researchers suggest such skills, without sufficient self-control or prosocial goals, might be used to manipulate others or navigate the justice system for personal gain, though the pattern may also reflect unmeasured factors.
Alcohol problems and skill deficits tended to co-occur: men whose drinking disrupted life or contributed to offending were more likely to be rated as having deficits across multiple skills. Yet the researchers found little evidence that the two domains interacted to predict reoffending. The models explained only about 3 per cent of the variation for any recidivism and about 2 per cent for violent recidivism, a level the authors note is typical for studying a behaviour as complex as reoffending.
“This indicates that problematic alcohol use may represent a stand-alone criminogenic need that remains salient even among individuals with relatively strong cognitive or social skills,” the authors wrote. Criminogenic needs are risk factors for reoffending that can change over time, making them prime targets for treatment.
The authors recommend screening for both alcohol problems and social and cognitive skills when people enter supervision, and for embedding alcohol treatment into intimate partner violence programmes. Such programmes often exclude individuals who are actively using substances, and access to them in Canada is limited and inconsistent.
There are important caveats. Because the dataset contained no victim information, the researchers could not determine whether new offences were committed against an intimate partner, so the findings apply to general and violent reoffending rather than repeat partner violence specifically. Canada’s Criminal Code also has no specific offence for intimate partner violence, complicating identification in official records.
The study relied on existing assessment data, meaning researchers could not add new measures or check for errors, and recidivism was based on official records that miss offences not brought to authorities. Because the data are observational, the findings show associations rather than proving that alcohol use or skill deficits cause reoffending. The authors suggest future work to account for differences among men who perpetrate partner violence, since alcohol may be more closely linked to violence for some perpetrators than others.
The study, “The Connection Between Alcohol Use and Social and Cognitive Skills for Men Who Have Perpetrated Intimate Partner Violence,” was authored by Crystal J. Giesbrecht and Kaila C. Bruer.
