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

Association of Daily Activities With Maternal-Child Bonding, Parenting Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Parenting Behaviors Among Survivors Living in an Intimate Partner Violence Shelter: A Daily Diary Study

Following a traumatic event such as intimate partner violence (IPV), survivors often experience stress related to the violence. These high levels of stress related to IPV can be associated with the daily activities of survivors and their relationships with their children, such as maternal-child bonding. The purpose of the current study is to explore the relationship between daily activities, daily stress levels, parenting self-efficacy and behaviors, and maternal-child bonding among survivors living in an IPV shelter using an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology. Twenty-five mothers living in an IPV shelter in two states in the Southern United States completed a baseline survey and completed electronic daily diaries for 14 days. Higher daily stress was associated with the number of times the mothers met with the case manager. Higher daily stress was also related to lower parenting self-efficacy. The number of case management appointments and legal appointments were positively correlated with a higher bonding score. More social support was associated with more positive parenting. IPV and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were not significantly associated with maternal-child bonding, parenting behaviors, or parenting self-efficacy. Findings suggest that screening for maternal support may be particularly important for positive bonding and positive parenting. Findings also lend preliminary insight into practical places where service providers could act to protect the bonding process or mitigate risks to impede it. Future research should include objective data about the mother's emotions and her interactive behavior with her child. There is also a need to consider how federal programs fund and incentivize service providers to focus on mother-child dyads and how they can tailor services that promote bonding.

Do couple drinking episodes lead to intimate partner aggression? An ecological momentary assessment study of same-sex and mixed-sex couples

OBJECTIVE

Alcohol use is an established risk factor for intimate partner aggression (IPA); however, few studies have considered whether couple drinking episodes increase the short-term likelihood of IPA episodes. The present ecological momentary assessment study considered the temporal effects of alcohol consumption on IPA perpetration and victimization within a sample of community couples at elevated risk of aggression.

METHOD

Mixed-sex (n = 191), same-sex male (n = 31), and same-sex female (n = 27) cohabiting couples (total N = 249; ages 21-35) made three independent, random reports for 30 consecutive days. Dyadic multilevel modeling was used to examine the impact of each partner's drinking episodes on the occurrence of verbal and physical perpetration and victimization events within the next 4 hr, using the actor-partner interdependence model.

RESULTS

Actor and partner alcohol use increased the likelihood of conflict and likelihood of conflicts involving verbal perpetration and victimization within the next 4 hr; alcohol effects on physical aggression were weaker. Actor alcohol effects on IPA remained significant after the addition of several control variables; partner effects did not. The absence of Alcohol × Gender interaction effects suggests that alcohol effects on IPA do not depend on actor or partner gender or their combination.

CONCLUSIONS

There are robust alcohol effects on the occurrence of verbal aggression perpetration and victimization episodes, with weak effects on physical aggression perpetration. Conflicts that include alcohol are not more likely to include aggression; rather, alcohol increases the likelihood of conflict occurring, with a proportion of those involving verbal aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Preliminary Efficacy of a Web-Based Alcohol and Emotion Regulation Intervention on Intimate Partner Aggression Among College Women

Objective

Intimate partner aggression (IPA), encompassing psychological and physical aggression, is a public health concern due to its high rates among young adults. Research and theory connect heavy drinking and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties to IPA and highlight their potential role in reducing IPA. A web-based intervention combining alcohol reduction strategies with ER skills demonstrated initial efficacy at reducing heavy drinking and improving ER abilities among college women with sexual assault victimization histories.

Method

The present study represents a secondary analysis of this brief web-based intervention to evaluate its preliminary efficacy on IPA. The sample comprised 200 heavy drinking college women with histories of sexual assault victimization randomized to an assessment only control or the intervention consisting of 14 brief online alcohol reduction and ER skill building modules administered daily over a two-week period. The analytic sample included 103 women who reported their psychological and physical IPA at both the 1- and 6-month follow-up surveys.

Results

After controlling for alcohol use, repeated measures mixed models examining changes from baseline to 6-month follow-up by condition revealed a significant time-by-intervention interaction effect on psychological IPA. Women who received the intervention had a significant decrease in psychological IPA from baseline to 6-month follow-up; there was no change in psychological IPA among women in the control condition. There was no significant effect of the intervention on physical IPA.

Conclusion

Reducing alcohol use and improving ER skills may be beneficial in helping women cope with relational conflict, thereby decreasing their use of psychological IPA.

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).

Assessing Intimate Partner Violence Via Daily Diary Surveys: Feasibility, Reporting, and Acceptability

Despite a growing number of research studies using experience sampling methodologies, little is known about feasibility of these methodologies to the study of intimate partner violence (IPV). In the current study, we examine (a) participant retention and completeness in a 3-week daily diary study, (b) the discrepancy between daily dairy reports of IPV and retrospective summary reports of IPV, and (c) participant reactions to a daily diary assessment of IPV experiences. Participants were 923 undergraduate students (primarily White, heterosexual, and middle to upper-middle class) at two medium-sized universities in New England and the Midwest who received course credit for completing daily diary surveys for 3 weeks about past 24-hour IPV experiences. At the end of the survey, participants summarized their IPV experiences across the 3-week period and answered questions about their reactions to participating in the research protocol. Of the students who completed the baseline survey, 460 (49.8%) were retained until the last day and 229 (24.8%) completed all 21 days. Participants reported higher incidence and frequency of IPV in the daily diaries compared with the retrospective summary measure. On average, participants reported low levels of negative reactions to research participation (e.g., increased fear of partner) and moderate levels of positive reactions to research participation (e.g., gaining insight). IPV victimization before the study, and IPV perpetration and victimization during the daily diary period, predicted negative reactions to research participation reported at the final assessment, whereas IPV perpetration during the daily diary period predicted positive reactions. Overall, findings suggest that although retention is challenging, daily diaries studies may improve accuracy of IPV reporting, and that participants have few negative responses to daily diary methodologies inquiring about IPV.

Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment Victimization Among Girls on an Indian Reservation: An Examination of Rates and Risk and Protective Factors

We documented the scope and correlates of past 6-month victimization among middle and high school girls on an Indian Reservation. Participants were 102 Native American girls in Grades 6-12. Rates of all forms of past 6-month victimization were higher for high school girls compared with middle school girls. In regression analyses, binge drinking related to higher rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Furthermore, connection to culture related to lower rates of sexual harassment, and efficacy to resist a sexual assault was related to lower rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Predicting rape events: The influence of intimate partner violence history, condom use resistance, and heavy drinking

Sexual aggression perpetration is a public health epidemic, and burgeoning research aims to delineate risk factors for individuals who perpetrate completed rape. The current study investigated physical and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) history, coercive condom use resistance (CUR), and heavy episodic drinking (HED) as prospective risk factors for rape perpetration. Young adult men (N = 430) ages 21-30 completed background measures as well as follow-up assessments regarding rape events perpetrated over the course of 3 months. Negative binomial regression with log link function was utilized to examine whether these risk factors interacted to prospectively predict completed rape. There was a significant interaction between physical IPV and HED predicting completed rape; men with high HED and greater physical IPV histories perpetrated more completed rapes during follow-up than men with low HED at the same level of physical IPV. Moreover, psychological IPV and coercive CUR interacted to predict completed rape such that men with high coercive CUR and greater psychological IPV histories perpetrated more completed rapes throughout the follow-up period than men with low coercive CUR at the same level of psychological IPV. Findings suggest targets for intervention efforts and highlight the need to understand the topography of different forms of aggression perpetration.

Daily and situational reports of substance use and dating violence among college students: A 10-week prospective study

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Dating violence was nearly twice as likely if either partner drank alcohol.

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Women were nearly twice as apt to perpetrate dating violence when they used drugs.

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Men were 1.4 times more likely to perpetrate dating violence when they used drugs.

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Estimated blood alcohol level and binge drinking were related to dating violence.

Introduction

Although the association between substance use and dating violence is well-established in the research literature, there is limited research establishing the temporal co-occurrence of these variables. The primary objective was to examine the temporal relationship between alcohol and drug use and subsequent dating violence using a proximal effects model.

Methods

This prospective study obtained daily diary data and weekly situational reports on abusive relationship events and substance use from 72 college women in dating relationships over a 10-week interval.

Results

Significant day-to-day associations were found between substance use and dating violence for women’s reports of their own behavior, and that of their male partners. The odds of dating violence were approximately 2.0 times higher on days when perpetrators drank alcohol. Women were approximately 2.0 times more likely to perpetrate dating violence when using drugs, and men were approximately 1.4 times more likely when they used drugs. Estimated blood alcohol concentration levels and binge drinking were associated significantly with dating violence perpetration for women’s reports of men’s behavior as well as for women’s reports of their own aggression. These findings held when examining severe versus minor dating violence as well as any versus no dating violence.

Conclusions

These results further support an association between substance use and partner aggression at daily and situational levels of analysis, extending prior clinical findings to a college dating sample. Taken with previous research findings, our results suggest the need for college sexual assault and dating violence prevention programs to target reductions in substance use.

Does state self-control depletion predict relationship functioning and partner aggression? An ecological momentary assessment study of community couples

Intimate relationship functioning depends upon the ability to accommodate one's partner and to inhibit retaliatory and aggressive impulses when disagreements arise. However, accommodation and inhibition may be difficult when self-control strength is weak or depleted by prior exertion of self-control. The present study considered whether state self-control depletion prospectively predicts male and female self-reports of anger with partner and arguing with partner. Consistent with the I³ Model (Finkel, 2014, Adv Exp Soc Psychol, 49, 1-104), we also considered whether the association between elevated anger and arguing (i.e., instigation) and partner aggression was stronger when state self-control (i.e., inhibition) was depleted or among people high in negative urgency. In this ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study, heavy drinking married and cohabiting heterosexual couples (N = 191) responded to three randomly signaled reports each day for 30 days. Depletion predicted anger and arguing with partners both cross-sectionally and prospectively for men and women. However, after controlling for prior levels of anger and arguing, these effects were diminished, and supplemental analyses revealed that anger and arguing with partner predicted subsequent depletion. Anger and arguing were strongly associated with concurrent reports of partner aggression perpetration and victimization (verbal and/or physical). However, neither state self-control depletion nor negative urgency moderated these effects. Overall, results suggest a modest impact of depletion on daily couple functioning as well as a potential cyclical effect of arguing on depletion.

Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner Violence Among Community College Women: An Exploration of Protective Factors

Little is known regarding the association between alcohol use and violence among community college women. Accordingly, this study investigated daily-level associations between alcohol use and intimate partner victimization (IPV) in a sample of young women (ages 18-24) in a community college setting, and the potentially protective role of education aspirations and living with family. Using a calendar-based assessment, women enrolled in a large community college (N = 212) completed past-month surveys of IPV and alcohol use. Unadjusted Generalized Estimating Equations showed nonsignificant positive associations between alcohol consumption (any alcohol use and number of drinks) and IPV at the daily level. Adjusted models showed a slight (but nonsignificant) increase in the odds of experiencing IPV on a drinking day. Those reporting a family income above $20,000 were at increased risk of experiencing violence. Living with family and wanting to attain a master's or doctoral degree reduced the risk of experiencing IPV on drinking days. Although the literature suggests that drinking among 4-year college women elevates the odds of experiencing IPV, our findings suggest the importance of examining contextual variables when understanding risk among community college women. Particularly, the role of family and educational aspirations may serve as protective factors in the association between alcohol use and IPV on a daily basis. As this is the first day-level study of IPV and alcohol use among community college women, further research is warranted to better explicate these findings.

Emotion Regulation Difficulties Moderate the Association Between Heavy Episodic Drinking and Dating Violence Perpetration Among College Men

Because of high rates of heavy drinking and dating violence (psychological or physical aggression toward a dating partner) among college men, we examined whether emotion regulation difficulties moderated the association between heavy drinking and dating violence perpetration. One hundred and fifty-eight men were recruited from a large northwestern US university between April 2014 and August 2014. Participants completed an online survey that assessed their emotion regulation difficulties as well as their past year history of heavy episodic drinking (HED; consuming 5+ drinks in 2 hours) and dating violence perpetration. Generalized linear models revealed that the positive association between HED and dating violence perpetration was stronger for men with greater impulse control difficulties and for those who reported limited access to emotion regulation strategies. In addition to continued efforts to reduce heavy drinking among college men, interventions targeting emotion regulation difficulties should be incorporated into standard dating violence intervention and prevention efforts to further reduce the likelihood of dating violence perpetration in this population.