Discussion of the risk of exhibiting violent behavior - Essay Example

?Running Head: literature findings paper Literature Findings Paper Tabitha Moyer Argosy Research Findings a. Strengths & Weaknesses of Selected Studies 1. Complementing Studies. All the studies used in this literature review bear several strengths and weaknesses. Some of them address specific areas of substance abuse i.e. either alcohol or other drugs, instead of using a generalized approach while performing a correlation between alcohol and drugs with violence. Therefore, their applicability on all forms of substance abuse is difficult to perform however discussion of specific substance abuse helps in identifying emerging themes in individual cases (Boles & Miotto, 2003; Galea, Nandi & Vlahov, 2004). Another important element discussed in selected research articles is an attempt to identify causal elements. While doing so, background and personal history of the user is explored which helps in examining common patterns leading to substance abuse (Cooley-Strickland et al., 2009). However, it is difficult to maintain a correlation between violent patterns shown by members of healthy family and community settings under the influence of substance abuse. The rationale for demonstration of violent behavior in this demographic segment is provided by the research of Volavka and Swanson (2010) and Mulvey et al. (2006) as they consider violent behavior an outcome of mental illness which is aggravated by use of substance abuse. Despite filling the gap in the research of Cooley-Strickland et al. (2009), it only addresses the explanation of violent behavior by those having mental illnesses and does not discuss individual instances of aggression’s display. Unlike all these studies, Swanson et al. (2002) considered environmental factors, mental illness, lack of treatment or noncompliance and substance abuse to be causative agents behind violence which makes this research more holistic as compared to others. On a positive side, all these studies complement each other when it comes to identifying common patterns leading to violent behavior resulted by substance abuse. 2. Contrasting Studies. Unlike Boles and Miotto (2003), Volavka and Swanson (2010), Cooley-Strickland et al. (2009) and Swanson et al. (2002) that are complementary studies, Stuart (2003) tend to disagree with them by asserting that not all kind of mental illnesses are followed by violence although having a risk of aggression and violence. The strength of this research is to acknowledge the fact that substance abuse is a major determinant of violent although its consistent co-morbidity with mental illness is questionable. Another major strength of Stuart (2003) is to consider the probability that social context leading to violent behavior as a result of substance abuse is largely unexplored. Another contradictory evidence is provided by Hoaken and Stewart (2003) as it mentions that not all the drugs directly lead to substance abuse; their withdrawal can also result in a similar way. This notion strengthens the argument that substance abuse leads to violent behavior in a direct or indirect manner. The literature review further helped in investigating the age bracket which is most vulnerable of developing habit of substance abuse leading to violent behavior after highlighting causes behind substance abuse. A critical analysis of selected research indicated that late childhood till adolescence are the peak periods during which one may exhibit violent behavior. Although research of Xue, Zimmerman and Cunningham (2009) and Squeglia, Jacobus and Tapert (2010) helped in understanding that due to development of cognitive processes, young people are more likely to demonstrate aggression and violence however it defined alcoholism and violence as bidirectional processes while failing to elaborate which one causes the other due to which it is difficult to design interventions addressing violent behavior in the light of this study. These studies cumulatively assist in further exploring neurological dysfunction leading to violent behavior which can further assist in designing interventions to mitigate negative impacts of substance abuse in order to restore normal brain development in children and adolescents. However, the impacts of substance abuse on physiological structure of adult’s brain needs to be examined further for developing a thorough map of neurological functioning by brains of varied age brackets and their responses to alcohol and drugs. While discussing risk of exhibiting violent behavior, Swartz et al. (1998) has extended the argument provided by Swanson et al. (2002) and Stuart (2003) by mentioning that patients with already detected medical illnesses are at risk of showing violent behavior due to non-compliance of medication and substance abuse. The strength of this article is to narrow down its focus on a specific population and identifying risk factors faced by them however general application of this research is not possible on individual cases. b. Examination of Evidence Drawn An explorative analysis of literature selected for this research indicated that there is a strong relationship between substance abuse and violent behavior. In some cases, it directly or indirectly results in aggression whereas in others, it increases the risk of violent behavior. Risks of substance abuse are higher in individuals with exposure to disturbed socio-economic conditions, previous history of personal trauma and mental illness. In some cases, it may act as a root cause whereas in others it may be used a coping mechanism against distress. Its co-morbidity with other mental disorders and use of substance in young age also increases the risks. Hence, there is suitable evidence that substance abuse and violent behavior are bidirectional and this relationship strengthens due to external factors. c. Alternate Findings & Hypothesis While seeking another plausible explanation for this relationship, it can be ascertained that substance abuse is more likely a result of other factors leading to physical and mental trauma. Therefore, instead of considering alcohol and drugs be the sole factors behind aggressive and violent behavior, it is necessary to explore whether victims of traumatic settings opt for substance abuse and demonstrate violence in turn in all cases. It is also important to investigate behavioral patterns of those who do not use substance even under inappropriate socio-economic surrounding. Hence, a plausible explanation of these findings can be that there is a direct relationship in between disturbed social environment/ living conditions and violent behavior and this relationship is enhanced by the use of alcohol and drugs. d. Conclusion Existence of multiple explanations has give rise to a possibility of further narrowing down this topic to developing and studying a violent behavior in those who have been trauma victims, faced distress in the past or have mental illnesses. It is important to examine how this population is at a greater risk of developing substance abuse along with identifying if substance abuse precedes violent behavior in this population or exists simultaneously. Such analysis would assist in drawing cause-effect patterns between these two variables with constant being the socio-economic conditions of the population being studied. References Boles, S.M., & Miotto, K. (2003). Substance abuse and violence: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 8(2), 155-174. Cooley-Strickland, M., Quille, T.J., Griffin, R.S., Stuart, E.A., Bradshaw, C.P., & Furr-Holden, D. (2009). Community violence and youth: affect, behavior, substance use, and academics. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 12(2), 127-156. Galea, S., Nandi, A., & Vlahov, D. (2004).The social epidemiology of substance abuse. Epidemiological Reviews, 26(1), 35-52. Hoaken, P.N., & Stewart, S.H. (2003). Drugs of abuse and the elicitation of human aggressive behavior. Addictive Behaviors, 28, 1533-1554. Mulvey, E., Odgers, C., Skeem, J., Gardner, W., Schubert, C., & Lidz, C. (2006). Substance use and community violence: A test of the relation at the daily level. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 743–754. Squeglia, L.M., Jacobus, J., & Tapert, S.F. (2009).The influence of substance use on adolescent brain development. Clin EEG Neurosci, 40(1), 31-38. Swartz, M.S., Swanson, J.W., Hiday, V.A., Borum, R., Wagner, H.R., & Burns, B.J. (1998). Violence and severe mental illness: The effects of substance abuse and non-adherence to medication .American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 226-231. Stuart, H. (2003). Violence and mental illness: An overview. World Psychiatry. 2(2), 121-24. Swanson, J.W., Swartz, M.S., Essok, S.M., Osher, F.C., Wagner, H.R., Goodman, L.A., Rosenberg, S.D., & Meador, K.G. (2002). The socio-environmental context of violent behavior in persons treated for severe mental illness. American Journal of Public Health, 92(9), 1523-31. Volavka, J., & Swanson, J. (2010). Violent behavior in mental illness: The role of substance abuse. The Journal of American Medical Association, 304(5), 563-4. Xue, Y., Zimmerman, M.A., & Cunnigham, R. (2009). Relationship between alcohol use and violent behavior among urban African American youths from adolescence to emerging adulthood: A longitudinal study. American Journal of Public Health, 99(11), 2041-2048. Read More