Coping with Partners' Alcohol Use Disorder and Relationship Adjustment: A Dyadic Analysis Among Treatment-Seeking...

The impact of alcohol use disorder (AUD) on romantic relationships is well-established. Three coping strategies that individuals may use in response to partners' AUD include: engaged, tolerant-inactive, and withdrawal coping. All three strategies are associated with adverse outcomes for partners and family members. Still, associations between these strategies and relationship adjustment have yet to be tested in a dyadic sample of romantic partners. Using secondary data from treatment-seeking couples with AUD, the present study examines the individual and dyadic associations among engaged coping, tolerant-inactive coping, and withdrawal coping with relationship adjustment. Results from a multilevel model using an actor-partner interdependence framework found that higher use of withdrawal coping was negatively associated with individual's own relationship adjustment (b = -0.61, SE = 0.11, p < .001), as well as their partner's relationship adjustment (b = -0.28, SE = 0.11, p = .010). There were no significant associations for engaged coping or tolerant-inactive coping. These findings highlight the importance of considering partners' interdependence when studying AUD and romantic relationships. Evidence-based treatments involving romantic partners may be particularly valuable for those reporting withdrawal coping in response to partners' AUD.