This project examined the prevalence and predictors of alcohol-related violence among young adults between the ages of 18-30. Results found that of the 1,400 college students and other young adults who participated in the study, one in three men and one in five women had been the target of physical aggression — ranging from shoving to assault with a weapon. Asked whether in the last year they had been the target of, or had initiated, violence, 44 percent of men in the community, 33 percent of college men, 28 percent of women in the community, and 22 percent of college women said yes. Pushing and shoving were the most common forms of aggression experienced, although 15 percent of the men surveyed said a weapon was used against them. Of the women who identified themselves as targets of physical aggression, 22 percent of the women said the incidents occurred in or outside bars, while 34 percent said the incidents occurred in their own home. In addition, the project reported evidence that drinking on the part of the subject did not predict whether or not an aggressive episode occurred, but it did predict the severity and likelihood of injury. Funded by a grant of $918,856 from NIAAA, 1997-2002.
