Drinking Style and Dating Violence in a Sample of Urban, Alcohol-Using Youth

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: This study examined childhood abuse, problem behavior, drinking style, and dating violence (DV). Our goal was to assess whether (a) alcohol use-related beliefs and behaviors ("drinking style") would be associated with DV perpetration and victimization, (b) drinking style would mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and DV, and (c) the drinking style-DV relationship would be attributable to propensity for problem behavior. Method: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 456 youth ages 14-21 years who were patients in an urban emergency department. Participants were eligible if they were unmarried and reported past-month alcohol use and dating in the past year. By design, the sample was 50% female. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: For both males and females, past-year DV was associated with a more risky drinking style, characterized by more frequent alcohol use, alcohol-aggression expectancies, drinking to cope, and beliefs that alcohol is disinhibiting and that being drunk provides a "time-out" from behavioral expectations. Drinking style mediated the childhood victimization-DV relationship for males and females. However, when propensity for problem behavior was included in the model, the effect of drinking style on DV was no longer significant. Substantial path differences for males and females were observed. Conclusions: The current study examined adolescent drinking style as a potential mediator between childhood victimization and DV. Drinking style was associated with DV for males and females and mediated the relationship between childhood victimization and DV. The relationship between drinking style and DV appeared to refl ect adolescents' propensity for problem behavior. Variations in males' and females' pathways to DV were observed. The implications of these fi ndings are discussed. (J.

The Relation Between Alcohol Use and Psychological, Physical, and Sexual Dating Violence Perpetration Among Male College Students

“…It has been proposed that alcohol use creates a myopic effect, facilitating aggressive behavior due to an increased focus on negative, aggressive cues while intoxicated (Chermack & Giancola, 1997; Giancola, 2002; Steele & Josephs, 1990). In recent years, there has been a wealth of research on the relation between alcohol use and aggression against intimate partners (e.g., Foran & O’Leary, 2008; Rothman et al, 2011; Shorey, Stuart, & Cornelius, 2011; Stuart, O’Farrell, & Temple, 2009), with findings generally demonstrating that alcohol use is positively associated with aggression against an intimate partner. However, continued research is needed on the relation between alcohol use and aggression against intimate partners, particularly among populations known to be at high risk for both alcohol consumption and aggressive behavior.…”

Taking Stock of Behavioral Measures of Adolescent Dating Violence

“…The other five scales that have been developed specifically to measure dating violence among adolescents are the Psychological Abuse Index (PAI; Molidor, 1995), the Safe Dates Psychological and Physical Dating Abuse Scales (Safe Dates; Foshee et al, 1996), the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory (CADRI; Wolfe et al, 2001), the Date and Family Violence and Abuse Scale (DFVAS; Symons, Groer, Kepler-Youngblood, & Slater, 1994), and the Dating Violence Perpetration Acts Scale (DVPAS; Rothman et al, 2011, 2012). The DVPAS captures all forms of adolescent dating violence (physical, psychological, sexual, stalking, and electronic), and the majority of the other measures (Safe Dates, CADRI, DFVAS) assess physical, psychological, and sexual dating violence.…”

Substance Use and Violence Among Youth: A Daily Calendar Analysis

“…For instance, disruptions in cognitive processes, irrational behavior, increased arousal, and a reduction in the inhibition of aggressive impulses may all contribute to increased violence (Chermack & Giancola, 1997; Ito, Miller, & Pollock, 1996; Pihl & Peterson, 1995; Virkkunen & Linnoila, 1993). Numerous studies have indicated strong associations between violence (victimization and aggression) and alcohol use (Rothman et al, 2011; Swahn and Donovan, 2006; Swahn et al, 2004) and/or drug use among youth (Cunningham et al, 2006, Epstein-Ngo et al, 2012; White et al, 2012,Walton et al, 2009). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, for example, indicated that youth who used any illicit drug in the past year were almost twice as likely to have engaged in violence compared to youth who did not report use of illicit drugs (SAHMSA, 2006).…”