Alcohol use and intimate partner violence perpetration among college students: Assessing the temporal association using electronic diary technology.

Abstract

Objectives: The primary goals of this study were to assess the temporal relationship between alcohol use and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration using state-of-the-art electronic diary assessment methods and to examine the extent to which distal factors (e.g., sex, psychopathology, relationship satisfaction) moderated that association. Method: Participants were 184 male and female college students in dating relationships who used a handheld computer to answer daily questions about alcohol use and IPV every day for 2 months. Results: Based on a total of 7,775 daily electronic diary reports, results showed that the odds of perpetrating psychological and physical aggression were 2.19 and 3.64 times greater, respectively, on drinking days relative to nondrinking days. Men evidenced 7.03 greater odds of engaging in psychological aggression on drinking days, whereas women had only 1.60 greater odds of engaging in psychological aggression on drinking relative to nondrinking days. Conclusion: Findings suggest the need to provide intervention early in dating relationships to reduce alcohol use to reduce the risk of IPV.

Daily Associations Between Alcohol Consumption and Dating Violence Perpetration Among Men and Women: Effects of Self-Regulation

“…In the one known study that compared the effects of alcohol on dating violence perpetration among men and women, men were more likely to perpetrate psychological aggression on a drinking day compared with women (Moore et al, 2011). However, men and women did not differ in their likelihood to perpetrate physical aggression on drinking days.…”

“…In one of the fi rst known studies to examine the daily association between alcohol use and dating violence among male and female youth ages 17-21, Rothman et al (2012b) found that, compared with nondrinking days, dating violence perpetration was more likely on drinking days and heavy drinking days. Similarly, in a sample of college men and women, psychological and physical dating violence perpetration were more likely on drinking days compared with nondrinking days and as the number of drinks consumed increased (Moore et al, 2011).…”

“…Event-level studies provide a richness of data not fully used by the previous event-level investigations of alcohol and dating violence (Moore et al, 2011;Rothman et al, 2012b;Shorey et al, 2014aShorey et al, , 2014b. Specifi cally, eventlevel studies make it possible to examine the within-person effects of intoxication-the deviation on a drinking occasion from the individual's own average level of intoxication-on the likelihood of dating violence perpetration.…”

“…Other studies have found that women were more likely to perpetrate psychological dating violence (Moore et al, 2011) and a combination of psychological and physical dating violence (Rothman et al, 2011) compared with men.…”

The Interplay of Trait Anger, Childhood Physical Abuse, and Alcohol Consumption in Predicting Intimate Partner Aggression

“…Alcohol intoxication may serve this function by impairing inhibitory control and rendering an individual less able to override aggressive urges when instigated. A large literature linking alcohol consumption to IPA supports the role of drinking as a disinhibiting factor (Eckhardt, 2007;Moore, Elkins, McNulty, Kivisto, & Handsel, 2011;Rapoza & Baker, 2008). However, as with other risk factors, alcohol consumption does not invariably lead to behavioral disinhibition, but is most potent in predicting IPA in the presence of other risk factors (e.g., Schumacher, Coffey, Leonard, O'Jile, & Landy, 2013).…”