Abstract
This research is a matched case-control study, the objective of which was to determine the association
between couples’ alcohol consumption and the violence of husbands against their wives, in Khon
Kaen Province. A structured interview questionnaire was used to elicit data from 47 women attending the
One- Stop Crisis Center of Khon Kaen Hospital, who experienced violence at the hand of their drinking
husbands. Ninety-four married women living in the same neighborhood and in the same age group
served as controls. The results revealed that non-drinking wives whose husbands drank alcohol and
drinking wives and husbands were of risk of spousal violence (4.27 times (adjusted OR=4.27, 95%CI=1.10-
16.62) and 8.55 times (adjusted OR=8.55, 95%CI=1.75-41.90) respectively), compared with non-drinking
couples. Drinking more than five glasses (adjusted OR=4.17, 95%CI=1.14-15.28) and substance abuse
(adjusted OR=3.97, 95%CI=1.04-15.07) were also significantly associated with spousal violence.
In conclusion, alcohol consumption is an important activating factor in spousal violence.
