title: Violence perpetrated by women who use methamphetamine.
abstract: Methamphetamine (meth) is widely recognized as being associated with violence and aggression. This association is found among women and men, with rates of meth-related violence among women possibly being equal to or even exceeding rates among men. This study examined female-perpetrated violence from the phenomenological point of view of 30 women (aged 18-45 years; mean age of 28.5 years) in residential treatment for meth dependence. Of the 30 participants, 80% (n= 24) reported experiencing violence in their lifetimes: 67% (n= 20) had violence perpetrated against them, and 57% (n= 17) had perpetrated violence. Most participants described perpetrating violence when they were 'coming down' off of meth (i.e. withdrawing). Five women (29%) attributed their violent behaviors to meth and said they would not have been violent had they not been using meth. In contrast, 10 women (59%) described pre-existing 'anger issues' that were 'enhanced' by meth. This article describes the timing of meth-related violence, bi-directional violence, men's responses to female-perpetrated violence, aggression in the context of sexual activities, and violence perpetrated against non-partners. A biopsychosocial theoretical framework is useful to interpret the complex explanations that women provide for their perpetration of violence under the influence of chronic meth use.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Department of Psychiatry, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Alison B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, LSU Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Goeders
keywords: Methamphetamine; aggression; female-perpetrated violence; qualitative; women