By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A YOUNG man who drinks and turns to violence might actually be reacting to an abusive father-son relationship, according to a Deakin University study.
Associate Professor Peter Miller said the study was the first to explore a connection between father-son relationships and male bar-room violence.
“Alcohol consumption and binge drinking are well-established as predictors of male-to-male alcohol-related violence. Male violence and antisocial behaviour is also linked to negative father-son relationships where the father, or father figure, is indifferent, abusive or over-controlling,” Prof Miller said.
“What has not been previously explored is any connection between father-son relationships and male-to-male alcohol-related aggression.”
The study evaluated the responses of 121 men aged 18 to 25 years a questionnaire assessing alcohol consumption, levels of bar-room aggression, fathering styles and roles modelled by fathers.
Prof Miller said the study that young men who had abusive fathers were more likely to be involved in alcohol-fuelled violence.
Study co-author Jessica Hargreaves said the findings also indicated that young men who had an abusive relationship with their fathers could turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
“When they drank they consumed substantial amounts of alcohol, enough to impair their judgement, leading to misinterpreting situations and increasing their likelihood of being involved in violence,” she said.
“The scars of an abusive father carry into adulthood for some young men, increasing the likelihood of them being involved in alcohol-related violence with other men, which provides an avenue for identifying men at most risk of alcohol-related behavioural problems.”
