Alcohol use, intimate partner violence and family well being: A qualitative study in Oron, Nigeria

Abstract

The negative effects of alcohol consumption are felt by other persons, not just the individual drinker. Existing findings suggest that harm to others from drinking are spread across different kinds of social relationships. But there is paucity of information regarding the effects of drinking on members of the drinker’s family. This study uses descriptive data from a survey conducted in Oron, Nigeria, to investigate domestic violence as the effect of drinking on family members. Drinking-related domestic violence generalizes the negative consequences of drinking, engenders and aggravates household economic and health problems, and compromises the well-being of the family. The poor socioeconomic condition of the affected family constrains their capacity to provide treatment services for the drinker, thereby perpetuating the cycle of drinking, domestic violence and family instability. Men’s awareness of the effects of drinking on members of their families provides leverage for policy and action to address harm to families from a member’s drinking.

Keywords: Drinking, Domestic Violence, Social harms, Family, Nigeria