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Coping with Partners' Alcohol Use Disorder and Relationship Adjustment: A Dyadic Analysis Among Treatment-Seeking
Julie A Hurd1, Margaret M Baer1, Caroline C Boyd-Rogers2
1Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center.
Couple & Family Psychology
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Withdrawal coping negatively impacts relationship adjustment for both partners when one has alcohol use disorder (AUD). Engaged or tolerant-inactive coping showed no significant associations in this study of couples with AUD.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD) significantly affects romantic relationships.
- Partners of individuals with AUD may employ engaged, tolerant-inactive, or withdrawal coping strategies.
- These coping strategies are linked to adverse outcomes, but their dyadic impact on relationship adjustment requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the individual and dyadic associations of coping strategies (engaged, tolerant-inactive, withdrawal) with relationship adjustment in couples where one partner has AUD.
- To test these associations using an actor-partner interdependence framework.
Main Methods:
- Utilized secondary data from treatment-seeking couples with AUD.
- Employed a multilevel model within an actor-partner interdependence framework.
- Analyzed associations between engaged, tolerant-inactive, and withdrawal coping and relationship adjustment.
Main Results:
- Higher use of withdrawal coping was negatively associated with an individual's own relationship adjustment (b = -0.61, p < .001).
- Withdrawal coping was also negatively associated with the partner's relationship adjustment (b = -0.28, p = .010).
- No significant associations were found for engaged coping or tolerant-inactive coping.
Conclusions:
- Withdrawal coping by a partner with AUD detrimentally affects relationship adjustment for both individuals in the dyad.
- Findings underscore the importance of considering partner interdependence in AUD research.
- Intervention strategies addressing withdrawal coping in romantic partners of individuals with AUD may improve relationship outcomes.
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