Support is requested for the period remaining on a previously funded K-21 award that was terminated 31 months early because of a change in institution for the P.I. The SDA is requested to support the P.I.'s efforts to establish an independent program of research on alcohol and marriage emphasizing the mediating role of behavioral interactions. The P.I. will continue to engage in supervised research and training activities designed to provide requisite skills and knowledge for conducting theory-driven research on alcohol and marital processes.
The specific aims of the proposed research program are: 1) to advance our understanding of the effects of alcohol on social behavior by studying behavior in a natural interpersonal context; 2) to assess causal relationships between alcohol use and both dysfunctional and adaptive interaction patterns in marital relationships and further, to assess the individual, couple or drinking variables that moderate these effects; 3) to describe the mechanisms through which frequent or heavy alcohol use might lead to a deterioration in marital functioning over time and, conversely, the ways in drinking in the marital context may discourage, maintain, or promote the use of alcohol; and, 4) to link the study of the interpersonal antecedents and consequences of alcohol use to current theoretical perspectives on marriage and close relationships. The supervised refinement and implementation of these research aims will provide a basis for the career development of the P.I. After completing preliminary studies in Years 1 and 2 of the grant period, the P.I. will refine and seek RO1 funding to 1) describe the naturally-occurring pattern of relations between drinking and interaction in married couples daily lives using event-contingent self-recording procedures, and 2) test and refine a model of the acute effects of alcohol consumption on the intimacy process with an experimental paradigm and systematic observation procedures. Career development activities will include specific educational and training experiences designed to enhance the P.l.'s expertise in the practical, substantive, and methodological issues informing the proposed research program.
