Ladies, be cautious about your drinking patterns.
A recent study conducted by the UB Research Institute on Addictions indicates that certain drinking behaviors can increase a woman's risk for victimization in bars.
"Women who consumed more alcohol and became intoxicated, went to or left the bar alone or with strangers, and talked to more than 10 people, were at risk for more severe aggression," said Kathleen Parks, senior research scientist at the institute and the project's principal investigator.
The experiment researched a topic that has gone unexamined in most studies, according to Parks.
"Little is known about the risks for victimization that women encounter in bars," she said.
For the investigation, 198 women between the ages of 18 and 52 were surveyed about their drinking behavior, alcohol and other drug use and bar drinking patterns. Several UB graduates were employed for data collection during the project.
The study, which was funded by two grants from the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation and from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, ran for 18 months in 1996 to 1997.
According to the report, the bar environment itself could increase the risk for aggression, in addition to the amount of alcohol consumed.
"Women were at greater risk in bars where the patrons were predominantly less than 25 years of age, had pool playing available and had more illegal activities such as drug use, drug sales, prostitution and gambling," said Parks.
As for who the primary aggressors are in these cases, Parks said she cannot be sure from the results of her experiment, but she has a fairly educated guess.
"We don't have a definite answer for this, but based on our other studies it is more likely that the majority of perpetrators were men," she said.
Parks said that this experiment, to her knowledge, is the first that specifically assesses women's risk for aggression in bars.
"There have been a few additional studies of environmental circumstances in bars that increase risk for violence," she said. "But not all of these have assessed women's risk for violence."
This is also one of the few experiments to examine the social interactions surrounding bar-related aggression, according to Parks.
"To our knowledge, there had been limited research on social behaviors, such as number of people talked to, the relationship to individuals with whom one went to and left the bar, and the like, that increase risk for violence, particularly for women," she said.
Based on her research, Parks has some advice for young women who may potentially experience such aggression.
"I think that young women need to be aware of the behavior of other patrons when drinking in bars," she said. "They should take precautions to reduce their own risk when drinking in this environment."
The ability to defend yourself from potential violence may be reduced by the level of your intoxication, according to Parks.
"Understand that your ability to recognize and extricate yourself from a potentially dangerous or violent situation is reduced with increased alcohol consumption and impairment," she said.
The experiment invariably shows that there are steps women can take to prevent experiencing violence from others.
"Women are not responsible for being victimized in bars," said Parks. "However, our findings suggest ways that women can decrease their risks."
