The long-term objective of the proposed project is to determine whether (1) alcohol use temporally and longitudinally precedes and increases the risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), (2) whether IPV temporally and longitudinally precedes and increases the risk for alcohol use, (3) whether proximal negative affect and self-control depletion, and sexual minority stress factors moderate these associations, and (4) whether the above associations vary across sex among young adults who identify as a sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, or bisexual [LGB]). Importantly, the proposed study will utilize both daily diary and longitudinal designs to examine the aims of the study, which will provide the most rigorous and comprehensive assessment of the associations between alcohol and IPV among individuals who identify as LGB to date. IPV includes psychological, physical, and sexual aggression, which occur at alarmingly high rates in heterosexual young adult dating relationships, with rates of IPV being as high, if not higher, among LGB young adults. Moreover, IPV results in increased mental and physical health symptoms for victims, as well as increased health care utilization. The proposed project aims to investigate the temporal and longitudinal relationships between alcohol use and IPV in 330 LGB young adult drinkers. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of research on proximal and distal moderators (e.g., negative affect, self-control, internalized homophobia, sexual orientation discrimination, LGB-specific social support) of the temporal and longitudinal relationships between alcohol use and IPV among LGB populations. Moreover, no research has utilized daily diary or longitudinal designs to examine the relationships between alcohol and IPV in LGB young adults. Participants will complete brief daily surveys each day for 60 consecutive days, followed by assessments at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months. The daily assessments will allow for more accurate reporting on the temporal relationship between alcohol and IPV, whereas the longitudinal assessments will allow for the examination of the prospective associations between alcohol and IPV. An integrated theoretical framework, which takes into account theoretical models of alcohol-related IPV (i.e., I3) and sexual minority stress, will be utilized to examine key factors which may moderate these associations (i.e., negative affect, internalized homophobia, LGB- specific social support). This project has the potential to provide crucial information that can be used to reduce IPV among LGB young adults.
Intimate partner violence among young adults who identify as a sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, or bisexual [LGB]) is a significant public health problem. The current study will be the first to examine, among LGB young adults, (1) whether alcohol temporally and prospectively increases the risk of IPV, (2) whether IPV temporally and prospectively increases the risk for alcohol use, (3) contextual (i.e., negative affect, sexual orientation discrimination) and distal (i.e., internalized homophobia, level of outness) moderators of the associations between alcohol and IPV, and (4) whether there are sex differences in these associations. The information obtained from this study will have direct relevance for researchers and clinicians who are interested in the reduction of alcohol-related intimate partner violence among LGB young adults.
