{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,8]],"date-time":"2026-02-08T03:34:00Z","timestamp":1770521640563,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a persistent public health and human rights challenge globally, with South Africa experiencing some of the highest rates. This study investigates the intersection between partner substance use, controlling behaviours, and women\u2019s risk of experiencing emotional, physical, and sexual IPV. Using nationally representative data from the South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS), a weighted sample of 2354 women was analysed. Findings show that 41.8% of women reported that their partners used alcohol and\/or drugs, and IPV prevalence among this group was 36.38%. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that partner substance use more than doubled the risk of emotional violence and nearly tripled the risk of physical and sexual violence. Controlling behaviours also emerged as significant predictor, with affected women facing up to nine times higher odds of IPV. These findings highlight the urgent need for integrated intervention strategies that address substance abuse and coercive control within intimate relationships. Prevention efforts must be context-specific, targeting underlying behavioural and gendered power dynamics to reduce IPV and improve women\u2019s safety.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23020160","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T15:41:56Z","timestamp":1769528516000},"page":"160","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["From Bottles to Bruises: Partner Substance Use, Relationship Dynamics, and the Risk of Intimate Partner Violence in South Africa"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7036-1210","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Judith Ifunanya","family":"Ani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha 5100, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2025). Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates, 2023: Global, Regional and National Prevalence Estimates for Intimate Partner Violence Against Women and Non-Partner Sexual Violence Against Women, World Health Organization. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240116962."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Statistics South Africa (2018). Crime Against Women in South Africa: An In-Depth Analysis of the Victims of Crime Survey Data, 2018."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e332","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(15)00013-3","article-title":"Cross-national and multilevel correlates of partner violence: An analysis of data from population-based surveys","volume":"3","author":"Heise","year":"2015","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. Health"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e187","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(13)70074-3","article-title":"Prevalence of and factors associated with male perpetration of intimate partner violence: Findings from the UN Multi-country Cross-sectional Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific","volume":"1","author":"Fulu","year":"2013","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. Health"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.1080\/105504901750227787","article-title":"The role of alcohol use in intimate partner femicide","volume":"10","author":"Sharps","year":"2001","journal-title":"Am. J. Addict."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Melkam, M., Fente, B.M., Negussie, Y.M., Asmare, Z.A., Asebe, H.A., Seifu, B.L., Bezie, M.M., and Asnake, A.A. (2024). Impact of partner alcohol use on intimate partner violence among reproductive-age women in East Africa Demographic and Health Survey: Propensity score matching. BMC Public Health, 24.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-19932-6"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"117144","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2024.117144","article-title":"Couples, alcohol use and experience of intimate partner violence among young women in urban informal settlements in Durban, South Africa: A mixed methods study","volume":"356","author":"Gibbs","year":"2024","journal-title":"Soc. Sci. Med."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1007\/s11414-008-9114-6","article-title":"Substance use and intimate partner violence: Clarifying the relevance of women\u2019s use and partners\u2019 use","volume":"36","author":"Golinelli","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Behav. Health Serv. Res."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"382","DOI":"10.1037\/a0038871","article-title":"Masculinities, alcohol consumption, and sexual risk behavior among male tavern attendees: A qualitative study in North West Province, South Africa","volume":"16","author":"Rich","year":"2015","journal-title":"Psychol. Men Masculinity"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"991","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2010.2328","article-title":"Substance abuse, violence, and HIV in women: A literature review of the syndemic","volume":"20","author":"Meyer","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Women\u2019s Health"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1011","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(09)60948-X","article-title":"Violence and injuries in South Africa: Prioritising an agenda for prevention","volume":"374","author":"Seedat","year":"2009","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1527","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1240937","article-title":"The global prevalence of intimate partner violence against women","volume":"340","author":"Devries","year":"2013","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Machisa, M., and Shamu, S. (2018). Mental ill health and factors associated with men\u2019s use of intimate partner violence in Zimbabwe. BMC Public Health, 18.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-018-5272-5"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"020439","DOI":"10.7189\/jogh.10.020439","article-title":"Masculinities and violence: Using latent class analysis to investigate the origins and correlates of differences between men in the cross-sectional UN Multi-country Study on men and violence in Asia and the Pacific","volume":"10","author":"Jewkes","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Glob. Health"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2312","DOI":"10.1177\/10778012211034206","article-title":"\u201cDrinking Too Much, Fighting Too Much\u201d: The Dual \u201cDisasters\u201d of Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol Use in South Africa","volume":"28","author":"Backe","year":"2021","journal-title":"Violence Against Women"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1111\/dar.12434","article-title":"Thirty years of research show alcohol to be a cause of intimate partner violence: Future research needs to identify who to treat and how to treat them","volume":"36","author":"Leonard","year":"2017","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Rev."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"379","DOI":"10.1111\/add.12393","article-title":"Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol","volume":"109","author":"Devries","year":"2014","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10285","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260519879259","article-title":"What Role Does Substance Use Play in Intimate Partner Violence? A Narrative Analysis of In-Depth Interviews with Men in Substance Use Treatment and Their Current or Former Female Partner","volume":"36","author":"Radcliffe","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Interpers. Violence"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"236","DOI":"10.1037\/a0024855","article-title":"Intimate partner violence and specific substance use disorders: Findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions","volume":"26","author":"Smith","year":"2012","journal-title":"Psychol. Addict. Behav."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.1097\/01.ALC.0000150015.84381.63","article-title":"Drinking, alcohol problems and the five-year recurrence and incidence of male to female and female to male partner violence","volume":"29","author":"Caetano","year":"2005","journal-title":"Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gibbs, A., Jewkes, R., Willan, S., and Washington, L. (2018). Associations between poverty, mental health and substance use, gender power, and intimate partner violence amongst young (18-30) women and men in urban informal settlements in South Africa: A cross-sectional study and structural equation model. PLoS ONE, 13.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0204956"},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"National Department of Health (NDoH), Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), and ICF (2019). South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2016, NdoH, Stats SA, SAMRC and ICF."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/2\/160\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,7]],"date-time":"2026-02-07T05:11:04Z","timestamp":1770441064000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/2\/160"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph23020160"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph23020160","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]}}}