This study investigates the importance of alcohol abuse as a predictive factor in cases of wife abuse, relative to other socio-demographic variables and proxy measures for male partners' attitudes toward male control and devaluation of wives. In zero-order analysis, heavy drinking on the part of male marital partners doubled the risk of violence against wives. However, when the effects of proxy measures of negative attitudes toward female partners were factored out, the effect of alcohol abuse became non-significant. This suggests that the link between alcohol and violence may be a spurious one in which masculinity is acted out through both heavy drinking and attacks and degradation of female partners.
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