Alcohol use is often part of the fabric of marriage and family life, and although it is associated with certain positive effects, excessive drinking and alcohol disorders can exert a negative effect on the marital development and on the development of children in the context of the family. This review considers evidence that alcohol influences and is influenced by marital/family processes, including transitions into marriage and parenthood, marital satisfaction, marital violence, parenting, and child development. The review discusses the importance of antisocial behavior and the need to examine women's drinking, and the joint impact of men's and women's drinking on marital/family processes. The review highlights the lack of studies in certain key areas, including the link between discordant drinking and violence and marital satisfaction, the role of alcohol in child neglect, and the potential role of marital conflict as a mediator or moderator of the relationship between alcohol and child functioning.

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This study prospectively examined a social interactional model of husband marital aggression. Young couples were assessed at the time of their 1st marriage with respect to marital conflict styles, alcohol consumption, hostility, gender identity, perceived power inequity, and history of family violence. Couples were reassessed at their 1-year anniversary, and information concerning marital aggression was collected. Most of the constructs were prospectively related to husband aggression, but these relationships were largely mediated through marital conflict styles and husband alcohol consumption, which in turn were influenced by husband's hostility, gender identity, and perceived power inequity.

The purpose of this study was to test a conceptual model predicting children's externalizing behavior problems in kindergarten in a sample of children with alcoholic (n = 130) and nonalcoholic (n = 97) parents. The model examined the role of parents' alcohol diagnoses, depression, and antisocial behavior at 12-18 months of child age in predicting parental warmth/sensitivity at 2 years of child age. Parental warmth/sensitivity at 2 years was hypothesized to predict children's self-regulation at 3 years (effortful control and internalization of rules), which in turn was expected to predict externalizing behavior problems in kindergarten. Structural equation modeling was largely supportive of this conceptual model. Fathers' alcohol diagnosis at 12-18 months was associated with lower maternal and paternal warmth/sensitivity at 2 years. Lower maternal warmth/sensitivity was longitudinally predictive of lower child self-regulation at 3 years, which in turn was longitudinally predictive of higher externalizing behavior problems in kindergarten, after controlling for prior behavior problems. There was a direct association between parents' depression and children's externalizing behavior problems. Results indicate that one pathway to higher externalizing behavior problems among children of alcoholics may be via parenting and self-regulation in the toddler to preschool years. Keywordsalcoholism; parenting; self-regulation; externalizing behavior problems It is now well established that children of alcoholic parents are at increased risk for interpersonal and behavior problems, psychiatric disturbances, substance abuse (including early onset of alcohol use), and developmental trajectories of persistent alcohol problems (Chassin, Flora, & King, 2004;Jackson, Sher, & Wood, 2000;Jacob & Windle, 2000). Researchers have speculated that one pathway to later substance abuse disorders among children of alcoholics is through higher incidence of behavior problems or behavioral undercontrol, characterized by higher aggression, impulsivity, and sensation seeking (Sher, 1991). This model has been supported by empirical evidence indicating that children of alcoholic fathers have higher ratesCorrespondence concerning this article should be addressed to Rina D. Eiden, 1021 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203. E-mail: E-mail: eiden@ria.buffalo.edu. of externalizing behavior problems and behavioral undercontrol (e.g., Blackson, 1994;DeLucia, Belz, & Chassin, 2001;Edwards, Eiden, Colder, & Leonard, 2006;Jacob & Windle, 2000). However, with the exception of recent reports from the Michigan Longitudinal Study (e.g., Loukas, Zucker, Fitzgerald, & Krull, 2003), few studies have investigated the mediational pathways explaining the association between parental alcohol problems and children's externalizing behavior problems using longitudinal data. Two important mediators of this association that have been implicated in studies using other high-risk samples are children's self-regulatory abilities and lower parental warmth/sensitivity. NIH Publi...

Marital adjustment, verbal aggression, and physical aggression have long been associated in the marital literature, but the nature of their associations remains unclear. In this study, the authors examined these 3 constructs as risk factors for physical aggression during the first 2 years of marriage in 634 couples recruited as they applied for marriage licenses. Couples completed assessments at the time of marriage and at their 1st and 2nd anniversaries. Results of path analyses suggest that prior verbal aggression and physical aggression by both partners are important longitudinal predictors of physical aggression but do not support the role of marital adjustment as a unique predictor of subsequent physical aggression. Contrary to prior research, results also failed to support physical aggression as a unique predictor of marital adjustment.

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The association between substance use and intimate partner violence (IPV) is robust. It is less clear how the use of specific substances relates to relationship violence. This study examined IPV perpetration and victimization related to the following specific substance use disorders: alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and opioid. The poly-substance use of alcohol and cocaine, as well as alcohol and marijuana were also examined. Data were analyzed from wave two of the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (2004–2005). Associations between substance use disorders and IPV were tested using logistic regression models while controlling for important covariates and accounting for the complex survey design. Alcohol use disorders and cocaine use disorders were most strongly associated with IPV perpetration, while cannabis use disorders and opioid use disorders were most strongly associated with IPV victimization. A diagnosis of both an alcohol use disorder and cannabis use disorder decreased the likelihood of IPV perpetration compared to each individual substance use disorder. A diagnosis of both an alcohol use disorder and cocaine use disorder increased likelihood of reporting IPV perpetration compared to alcohol use disorders alone, but decreased likelihood of perpetration compared to a cocaine use disorder diagnosis alone. Overall, substance use disorders were consistently related to intimate partner violence after controlling for important covariates. These results provide further evidence for the important link between substance use disorders and IPV, and add to our knowledge of which specific substances may be related to relationship violence.

The objective was to determine whether discrepancies between husbands' and wives' past year heavy drinking predicted decreased marital satisfaction over time. Participants were recruited at the time they applied for their marriage licenses (N= 634). Couples completed questionnaires about their alcohol use and marital satisfaction at the time of marriage, and again at their first and second anniversaries. Generalized estimating equation models were used to evaluate the association between discrepancies in husbands' and wives' heavy drinking in the year prior to marriage and marital satisfaction at the first wedding anniversary and the association between discrepancies in heavy alcohol use in the first year of marriage and marital satisfaction at the second wedding anniversary. In these prospective time-lagged analyses, discrepancies in husbands' and wives' heavy drinking predicted decreased marital satisfaction over time while controlling for heavy drinking. Over time, these couples may be at greater risk for decreased marital functioning that may lead to relationship dissolution. Keywords marital satisfaction; discrepancies; alcohol useMarital relationships are often comprised of individuals who share similar backgrounds, values, beliefs, and behaviors. Houts, Robins, and Huston (1996) examined similarity among newly married couples and found that individuals were more closely matched with respect to preferences for leisure activities and for division of household responsibilities than would be expected by chance. In a cross-national study of partner similarity, Price and Vandenberg (1980) found spousal similarity with respect to social variables such as food choices and leisure activities, but also with respect to personality related variables, such as trust, compulsiveness, and social conformity. Spousal similarity has also been demonstrated with respect to psychological disorders, including affective disorder (Galbaud du Fort, Bland, Newman, & Correspondence to: Gregory G. Homish. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at http://www.apa.org/journals/ccp/ NIH Public Access Boothroyd, 1998) and antisocial personality (Krueger, Moffitt, Caspi, Bleske, & Silva, 1998).Although it is not entirely clear whether this similarity is a result of an assortative mating process, a socialization or causation process, or some combination of both, compatibility theories argue that spouses who are quite dissimilar are at risk for marital problems (Kurdek, 1991). This conceptual approach suggests that "….large differences between partners o...