Heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders are among the most well-established risk factors for male- perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV). In fact, among men seeking treatment for alcohol use disorders, approximately 50% report IPV perpetration in the past year;an annual prevalence estimate that is four to six times higher than estimates from demographically similar nonalcoholic men. Although alcohol has been identified as major contributing factor to IPV, not all men who engage in heavy or problem drinking engage in IPV. To develop appropriate and optimal intervention and prevention strategies, we must further our understanding of the characteristics and situations which potentiate alcohol-related IPV. Given that one partner's alcohol diagnosis can have profound negative impacts on the other partner, alcohol dependent (AD) men commonly experience pressure from their wives to limit their drinking (informal control). Preliminary findings in the literature suggest that both violent and non-violent conflict in couples with an AD husband often center on the topic of alcohol itself, but presently there is little understanding of how men perceive and react to their female partners'informal control. Research on non-AD men, suggests that men at risk for IPV exhibit deficits in social cognition, such as hostile attribution biases and low empathy;deficits which might potentiate aggressive behaviors in response to women's informal control attempts. The proposed study will address the following specific aims: 1) how female partners'informal control strategies are related to couples'relationship conflict and IPV and 2) whether the association between female partners'informal control and men's IPV is mediated by social cognitive deficits. To address these aims, 80 men who are involved in serious relationships and who are seeking treatment for alcohol use disorders will complete several self-report interviews and questionnaires as well as a laboratory paradigm developed for this project. Partner violent and non-violent men will be compared on relevant behaviors, thoughts, and attitudes including social cognitive deficits, relationship functioning, and their partners'responses to their drinking. To further examine cognitive deficits and their relationship to IPV, participants will be asked to listen to audio-taped relationship vignettes describing wives'negative reactions to husbands'drinking as well as non-alcohol related conflicts, imagine themselves in the situation, and indicate their likely cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses. IPV is a serious public health concern in this country. A better understanding of how AD men interpret and respond to their female partners'attempts to cope with their drinking will help lay a foundation for further treatment development and prevention work in this area.
