Heavy Alcohol Use in the Couple Context: A Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study

Effects of couple drinking events on short-term relationship harmony and discord: An ecological momentary assessment study

OBJECTIVE

Couples with concordant drinking patterns have higher relationship satisfaction and greater relationship stability over time. Emerging evidence suggests that episodes of drinking with one's intimate partner can have positive immediate consequences for relationship functioning, whereas drinking episodes without partner do not. The present ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study examined the impact of drinking with partner (DWP) and drinking without partner (DWOP) events on immediate and next-day self-reported relationship harmony and discord.

METHOD

Heterosexual, cohabiting community couples with congruent drinking patterns, ages 21-35 (N = 191), made three random reports each day for 30 days. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the impact of DWP and DWOP events on momentary relationship functioning, controlling for quantity of alcohol consumed and for functioning at the previous report.

RESULTS

As hypothesized, harmony increased immediately after DWP (but not after DWOP) compared with no drinking for men and women. There were no immediate effects of drinking on discord. There were also positive effects of DWP on next morning harmony, but these were specific to women's drinking reports. Women's DWP and DWOP predicted reduced next morning discord for men; however, men's and women's discord increased as women consumed more drinks the previous evening.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that concordant drinking couples may achieve immediate benefits for couple harmony from drinking together. Women's drinking seems to be more impactful than men's on next-day harmony and discord, with greater harmony following women's evening DWP but increased discord associated with heavier evening drinking by women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in Alcohol Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of the Lockdown Conditions and Mental Health Factors

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to governments taking a number of restrictive measures. Confinement at home during the COVID-19 crisis could have major implications on mental health and alcohol use behaviors among the whole population. The present study focuses on the role of individual characteristics, contextual factors, and mental health variables on alcohol consumption. A sample of 2871 adults (79% women) were recruited from the general population through an online self-report questionnaire. Sociodemographic data, lockdown conditions, occupational/physical activity, proximity of contamination, mental health (anxiety, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty), and alcohol consumption (frequency, quantity, and changes) have been assessed. Among participants, 49.1% of the population reported stable alcohol consumption, 24.5% reported a decreased in alcohol consumption since the beginning of the lockdown and 26.4% reported an increase in consumption. Our findings indicate that those individuals who increased their alcohol consumption during the lockdown are often older, working from home, more likely to have children, higher educated, and consume alcohol more frequently and in higher quantities. They also have a greater proximity to contamination and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Our results are discussed in terms of preventive implications.

Committed relationships and substance use: recent findings and future directions

Recent research on substance use in committed relationships covers three general areas. First, partners tend to be concordant for substance use, and concordance is at least partially the result of partner influence (or convergence). Second, substance use (particularly discrepant use) predicts relationship outcomes such as lower relationship quality and greater conflict, intimate partner aggression, and risky sex. Concordant use, however, can be protective. Finally, relationship variables, such as conflict, intimate partner aggression, and support for cessation, predict substance use. Recent advances in methodological innovation, such as the use of longitudinal designs and dyadic data, are noted. Although the field has moved in some new directions conceptually, the research in this area is still relatively atheoretical. Suggestions for future research directions are discussed.

Preschool children's response to behavioural parent training and parental predictors of outcome in routine clinical care

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effectiveness of behavioral parent training (BPT) for preschool children with disruptive behaviours and to explore parental predictors of response.

METHODS

Parents of 68 preschool children, aged between 2.7 and 5.9 years, participated in BPT. We evaluated the changes in children's behaviour after BPT with a one group pretest-posttest design, using a waiting period for a double pretest. Outcome was based on parents' reports of the intensity and number of behaviour problems on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory. Predictor variables included parents' attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, antisocial behaviours, and alcohol use, and maternal parenting self-efficacy and disciplining.

RESULTS

Mother-reported child behaviour problems did not change in the waiting period but improved significantly after BPT (d = 0.63). High levels of alcohol use by fathers and low levels of maternal ineffective disciplining were each associated with somewhat worse outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

BPT under routine care conditions clearly improves disruptive behaviours in preschool children. Mothers who consider themselves as inadequate in disciplining and mothers whose partners do not consume high levels of alcohol report the largest improvements.