Predicting Different Types of Intimate Partner Aggression Perpetration: The Roles of Problem Alcohol Use and Distress...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Criminology
• Public Health

Background:

• Intimate partner aggression (IPA) and substance use are established risk factors for perpetration.
• Distress tolerance negatively associates with physical and psychological IPA, particularly in males in substance use treatment.
• Limited research exists on problem substance use, distress tolerance, and various IPA forms in non-clinical populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the moderating role of distress tolerance in the relationship between problem alcohol use and four types of IPA perpetration.
• To examine physical assault, psychological aggression, sexual coercion, and controlling behaviors.
• To analyze these dynamics in a diverse, national non-clinical sample.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of a diverse national sample (N = 323).
• Assessment of problem alcohol use, distress tolerance, and four IPA perpetration types.
• Statistical modeling to test moderation effects.

Main Results:

• Distress tolerance significantly moderated the association between problem alcohol use and physical assault.
• Distress tolerance moderated the link between problem alcohol use and controlling behaviors, especially for those with low distress tolerance.
• No significant interaction effects were found for psychological aggression or sexual coercion.

Conclusions:

• Distress tolerance plays a crucial role in understanding alcohol-facilitated IPA.
• Interventions aimed at enhancing distress tolerance may reduce physical assault and controlling behaviors in intimate partner aggression.
• Further research is needed on psychological aggression and sexual coercion in this context.