Alcohol problems are one of the most well-established risk factors for physical intimate partner violence. Nonetheless most individuals who drink heavily do so without ever aggressing against a partner. Laboratory research identifies hostility as an important moderator of the association between alcohol and general aggression, and correlational research suggests stress and coping may also be important moderators of the alcohol-aggression link. Building on this research, the present study examines hostility, coping, and daily hassles as moderators of the associations between excessive drinking and intimate partner violence across the first four years of marriage in a sample of 634 newly married couples. Excessive drinking was a significant cross-sectional correlate, but did not emerge as a unique longitudinal predictor of intimate partner violence perpetration in this sample. However, alcohol was longitudinally predictive of husband violence among hostile men with high levels of avoidance coping. Findings generally supported the moderation model, particularly for men. These findings implicate hostility, coping, and daily hassles, as well as alcohol, as potentially important targets for partner violence prevention strategies for young married couples.

Background: Individuals married to heavy drinking spouses often have poorer health compared to those whose spouses are not heavy drinkers. This work examined how one spouse's alcohol involvement and alcohol-related problems affect his/her spouse's depressive symptomatology over time.Methods: Couples (N = 634) were assessed for past year alcohol involvement and alcohol-related problems (marital and non-marital) and depressive symptomatology when they applied for a marriage license. They were reassessed at their first and second anniversaries. Multilevel models were used to analyze the association between one spouse's alcohol involvement and alcohol problems and his/ her partner's depressive symptomatology over time.Results: Both husbands' and wives' marital alcohol problems were associated with wives' depressive symptoms. Neither spouses' alcohol consumption was associated with wives' depressive symptoms. Husbands' marriage-related alcohol problems and frequency of heavy drinking were related to husbands' depressive symptoms; however, wives' alcohol problems and alcohol use were unrelated to husbands' depression. Conclusions:In a community sample of married couples, we found that husbands' and wives' marital alcohol problems affect wives' depressive symptoms, but only husbands' marital alcohol problems affect husbands' depressive symptoms. Future work should consider other subgroups of alcohol-related problems in one spouse and their relation to depression in his/her partner.

There is clearly an association between husbands' and wives' alcohol use and marital quality. However, given the absence of longitudinal effects, we cannot discern the temporal precedence of this association. Additional research is needed to more fully understand this complex relationship.

Objective Research examining dyadic patterns of intimate partner violence (IPV) often focuses on static conceptions based on whether either the husband or wife has exhibited any violence. This study examined the dyadic patterns of IPV empirically and traced how these groups change over time. Method Couples (N=634) were assessed with respect to IPV and relationship satisfaction at the time of marriage, and at their first and second anniversaries. Cluster analysis was conducted on Total Aggression, Differential Aggression, and the Aggression Ratio prior to marriage for couples with any violence. Results This analysis revealed 5 clusters; Very High-Husband to Wife, (High:H>W); Very High-Wife to Husband (High-W>H); Low to Moderate, Husband to Wife (Low:H>W); Low to Moderate, Wife to Husband (Low-W>H); Low to Moderate, Both Aggressive (Low:H=W). The majority (57%) of the aggressive couples were classified in the gender asymmetric groups. Most asymmetric clusters became symmetric over time, but the High:H>W cluster became more asymmetric. By the 2nd anniversary, all clusters were characterized by higher injuries experienced by wives than by husbands. Conclusion These results demonstrate that a considerable amount of IPV that is typically classified as “bidirectional” is gender asymmetric and that these asymmetric patterns tend to converge into more symmetric patterns over time.

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