The Temporal Association between Alcohol and Dating Violence: Moderators in Young Adult

Ohio University Athens, Athens OH

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Abstract

Project Summary The long-term objective of the proposed project is to determine whether alcohol use temporally precedes and increases the risk for dating violence among young adult dating couples and whether negative affect, and genetics, moderate this temporal association. Dating violence includes psychological, physical, and sexual aggression, all which occur at alarmingly high rates in young adult dating relationships. Moreover, dating violence results in increased mental and physical health symptoms for victims, as well as increased health care utilization. This project has the potential to provide important information that can be used to reduce dating violence among young adults. The proposed project aims to investigate the temporal relationship between alcohol use and the perpetration and victimization of dating violence in 180 young adult dating couples. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of research on the temporal relationship between alcohol use and dating violence among couples specifically. In addition, the proposed project will examine whether state negative affect moderates and increases the strength of the relationship between acute alcohol use and dating violence. Finally the proposed project will explore whether genetics also moderates the temporal association between alcohol and dating violence. Participants will complete brief daily surveys for 60 consecutive days. The daily assessments will allow for more accurate reporting on the temporal relationship between alcohol and dating violence.