An ADAMHA SDA award is requested to enable the P.I. to develop an independent program of research on alcohol and marriage emphasizing the mediating role of behavioral interactions. The P.I. will 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 research program will be: (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 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 conducting preliminary studies in Years 1 and 2, the P.I. will refine and seek funding for two programmatic research projects: (1) the study of the naturally occurring pattern of relations between drinking and interaction in the day- to-day lives of married couples using event-contingent self-recording procedures, and (2) the experimental study of the acute effects of alcohol consumption on marital interactions using systematic observation procedures. Career development activities will also include specific educational and training experiences, such as coursework and visits to prominent alcohol and marital researchers. The institutional setting for this SDA, the Research Institute on Alcoholism, will provide an ideal environment for the development of the P.I. as an investigator in the alcohol field.
