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Is There a Causal Relationship between Alcohol Use and Violence?

A Synthesis of Evidence

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Recent Developments in Alcoholism

Part of the book series: Recent Development in Alcoholism ((RDIA,volume 13))

Abstract

This chapter reviews the evidence bearing on the question of whether those individuals who consume alcohol have an increased probability of subsequent violent behavior. Four bodies of relevant research are examined: experimental studies with animals, experimental studies with humans, individual-level correlational studies, and macro-level correlational studies. All these research approaches provide some evidence of an association between alcohol consumption and violent behavior, but no firm conclusion can be drawn about whether alcohol plays a causal role in such behavior. Various limitations, deficiencies, and ambiguities of available research that contribute to this state of affairs are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212

    Mark W. Lipsey, David B. Wilson & James H. Derzon

  2. Owen Graduate School of Management, and Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, 37212

    Mark A. Cohen

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  1. Mark W. Lipsey
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  2. David B. Wilson
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  3. Mark A. Cohen
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  4. James H. Derzon
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York

    Marc Galanter

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© 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Lipsey, M.W., Wilson, D.B., Cohen, M.A., Derzon, J.H. (2002). Is There a Causal Relationship between Alcohol Use and Violence?. In: Galanter, M., et al. Recent Developments in Alcoholism. Recent Development in Alcoholism, vol 13. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47141-8_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47141-8_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-306-45358-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-47141-4

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