Frontal lobe deficits and alcohol abuse: Possible interactions in predicting domestic violence

This study is a secondary analysis of data presented by Westby and Ferraro (1999), who examined the relationship between performance on neuropsychological measures of frontal lobe deficits and domestic violence. Their results suggest that men who commit domestic violence perform more poorly than controlled counterparts on measures related to frontal lobe deficits. The purpose of this re-analysis is to further explore the associations among frontal lobe deficits, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence. Findings from the re-analysis suggest that the effects of frontal lobe deficits on domestic violence may be most pronounced in cases of severe violence. The effects of alcohol abuse per se on domestic violence may be mediated by neuropsychological factors. The welldocumented association between alcohol abuse and domestic violence may need to be re-evaluated to include neurological vulnerability.