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Problematic Drinking Mediates the Association Between Urgency and Intimate Partner Aggression During Acute
Olivia S Subramani1, Dominic J Parrott1, Christopher I Eckhardt2
1Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|June 28, 2017
Summary
Impulsivity, particularly acting rashly due to emotions, predicts intimate partner aggression (IPA) through problematic drinking. Alcohol intoxication significantly amplifies this risk, highlighting alcohol
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Addiction Research
- Forensic Psychology
Background:
- Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a significant public health concern.
- Understanding the psychological and situational factors contributing to IPA is crucial.
- Heavy drinkers with a history of IPA perpetration were the focus population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test a moderated-mediation model of physical IPA.
- To examine how dimensions of impulsivity predict IPA via problematic drinking.
- To investigate the role of alcohol intoxication in this relationship.
Main Methods:
- 249 heavy drinkers with recent IPA history participated.
- Assessed impulsivity, problematic drinking, and IPA perpetration.
- Participants underwent an alcohol or placebo beverage and a provocation-aggression task.
Main Results:
- Urgency, a dimension of impulsivity, indirectly predicted IPA through problematic drinking.
- This indirect effect was significantly stronger in intoxicated individuals.
- Sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, and lack of perseverance did not show similar mediation effects.
Conclusions:
- Emotional reactivity (urgency) is a key impulsivity dimension linking problematic drinking to IPA.
- Acute alcohol intoxication facilitates this pathway, increasing IPA risk.
- Interventions targeting emotional regulation and problematic drinking in intoxicated individuals may reduce IPA.
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