Patterns of alcohol use and physically aggressive behavior in men

Research on the relationship between alcohol use and aggressive behavior has typically focused on arrested felons and has contained minimal data on alcohol use, the symptoms of alcoholism and potential explanatory variables. The present study examined this relationship in a community-based population of blue-collar workers (N = 484 men). Current alcohol consumption was not related to either the number of fights that subjects were involved in since age 18 or physical marital conflict. However, a pathological pattern of consumption and a recent diagnosis (within the previous 3 yr) of alcohol misuse or alcohol dependence were related to physical marital conflict. Furthermore, these relationships remained significant after sociodemographic factors, and hostility and marital satisfaction were controlled for. Thus, these results on aggressive behavior confirm previous findings from research on criminal violence.