A Test of General Strain Theory: Explaining Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol Use Among Black Women

• Date: 01 April 2022
• Published date: 01 April 2022
• DOI: 10.1177/15570851211065896
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Feminist Criminology

2022, Vol. 17(2) 163–184

© The Author(s) 2021

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DOI: 10.1177/15570851211065896

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A Test of General Strain

Theory: Explaining Intimate

Partner Violence and Alcohol

Use Among Black Women

Megan E. Steele

1

, Tara E. Sutton

2

, Alyssa Brown

1

,

Leslie G. Simons

1

, and Patricia Y. Warren

3

Abstract

Using a sample of 291 Black women and a longitudinal study, we explore how general

strain theory can broaden our understanding of Black women’s alcohol use and in-

timate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Results demonstrated that racial dis-

crimination, past IPV and sexual victimization, and family member’s victimization

heightened depression, which increased heavy alcohol use. Discrimination and family

victimization also elevated anger, leading to greater IPV perpetration. Results further

revealed that depression and anger interacted to influence IPV. Researchers, practitioners,

and policymakers must continue to pursue culturally sensitive practices to effectively

address this unique constellation of strains and advocate for the needs of Black women.

Keywords

General strain theory, intimate partner violence, alcohol use, race

Black women face multiple intersecting forms of oppression, including simultaneous

gender- and race-based structural disadvantages (Collins, 2000;Crenshaw, 1989), and

1

Department of Sociology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

2

Department of Sociology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA

3

College of Criminology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

Corresponding Author:

Megan E. Steele, Department of Sociology, University of Georgia, 419 Baldwin Hall, Athens, GA 30602,

USA.

Email: mes05130@uga.edu

their criminal victimization rates exceed those of White and Latina women (Like-

Haislip & Warren, 2011). National data reveal 41.2% of Black women have experi-

enced intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, and 21.2% have been raped in their

lifetime, often for the first time before age 25 (Breiding et al., 2014). Black women are

also regularly subjected to blatant and covert forms of racial discrimination, which is a

salient source of stress (Hurd et al., 2014). Further, Black women are more likely than

their White counterparts to face a family member’s violent victimization. Across the

last four decades, the individual risk of victimization for Black individuals has re-

mained 1.5 to 2 times greater than White individuals (Warnken & Lauritsen, 2019).

These adverse experiences put Black women at risk for a variety of negative outcomes.

For example, IPV and sexual assault victimization have been linked to women’s

psychological distress, alcohol use, and IPV perpetration (Ehrensaft et al., 2006;

Martino et al., 2005;Sprunger et al., 2015). Exposure to racial discrimination has also

been demonstrated to negatively affect mental health and increase substance use and

IPV (Gibbons et al., 2010;Sutton & Simons, 2021;Tobler et al., 2013). The violent

victimization of family members additionally heightens negati ve emotions, aggression,

and self-destructive behavior (Jenkins, 2002).

Much criminological literature has drawn from general strain theory (GST) to

explain how stressful life events shape one’s propensity for crime and other uncon-

ventional acts. GST suggests that adverse events and conditions (i.e., strains) generate

negative emotions (Agnew, 2006). In turn, individuals may engage in destructive

behavior to cope with feelings of anger, frustration, depression, or shame. A strength of

GST is that it can account for strains that groups are disproportionately likely to

experience due to their social location (Jang, 2007;Kaufman et al., 2008). For example,

Sutton et al. (2019) found strain among Black men in the form of racial discrimination

led to greater IPV perpetration through increased anger. In the current study, we in-

vestigate whether this approach can be extended to explain Black women’s IPV

perpetration and heavy alcohol consumption. Specifically, we focus on four strains that

reflect Black women’s gendered and racialized experiences (i.e., IPV and sexual

victimization, racial discrimination, and the victimization of close family) and examine

whether anger and depression link such strains to their IPV and alcohol use.

Strain and Adverse Outcomes Among Black Women

Given that Black women’s multiple marginalized identities uniquely shape their ex-

posure to and experience of strain, analyses that center on this population are im-

perative. Black feminist scholars have long asserted that Black women’s lived

experiences, including victimization and trauma, are qualitatively distinct from those of

White women (Crenshaw, 1989;Like-Haislip & Warren, 2011;Potter, 2008;Richie,

2012). Specifically, many of the avenues for addressing victimization remain inac-

cessible to Black women. For example, Black women who are survivors of IPV and

sexual violence often report that they are reluctant to seek assistance from law en-

forcement, medical providers, and mental health professionals due to past experiences

164 Feminist Criminology 17(2)