More than 15 studies have found an association between adolescent alcohol use and dating violence perpetration using gross measures of past-month or past-year behavior, but none have determined the temporal order of alcohol use and dating violence on days when both occur. Evidence about the potentially causal relationship between adolescent alcohol use and dating violence is essential in order to develop effective interventions to reduce both. The proposed longitudinal cohort study will use an innovative data collection method (Interactive Voice Response, or IVR) to collect daily reports on alcohol use and dating violence from 80 urban, primarily low-income and non-White, adolescents over a 12 week period. The study will provide feasibility data about the use of IVR to collect sensitive information from a """"""""hard-to-reach"""""""" population, will yield information about the sequence of events on days when participants drink and perpetrate dating violence, and will compare event data collected via IVR and TLFB for the same time period. Specifically, we hypothesize that: (1) Using a high-intensity retention strategy, it will be feasible to collect IVR drinking and dating violence data from this sample and achieve a good participation rate: e70% of participants will provide data on e75% of the follow-up days;(2) Dating violence perpetration will be significantly more likely to occur within a 4 hr. window following alcohol use than when alcohol has not been used for >4 hrs;(3)The mean average number of drinks consumed prior to a dating violence event will significantly exceed the number consumed afterwards;and (4) Males and females will be equally likely to have an increased risk of dating violence perpetration within a 4 hr. window after alcohol use. We will also conduct exploratory analyses to investigate whether there is concordance between events reported via IVR and TLFB. The proposed research is innovative because it will (1) produce knowledge about a high-risk population that the NIAAA has determined is under-researched;(2) generate new information about the feasibility of using IVR with hard-to-reach youth;and (3) has the potential to improve both youth alcohol and partner violence prevention practice by contributing evidence about the potential connection. This study will evaluate the temporal relationship between adolescent alcohol use and dating violence perpetration, and provide information about the feasibility of using IVR for these purposes with """"""""hard to reach"""""""" youth. Ultimately, results will inform evidence- based interventions designed to reduce both underage behaviors. Findings have the potential to answer important research questions, enhance data quality, and make a substantial contribution to prevention practice.
The proposed longitudinal cohort study will use an innovative data collection method (Interactive Voice Response) to collect daily reports on alcohol use and dating violence from a sample of urban, primarily low-income and non-White, adolescents recruited from a pediatric emergency department. These data will yield information about the sequence of events on days when participants drink and perpetrate dating violence. Ultimately, knowledge about the temporal order of youth alcohol use and dating violence will help clarify whether drinking elevates risk for this form of interpersonal violence, and will inform evidence-based prevention strategies.
| Rothman, Emily F; Stuart, Gregory L; Temple, Jeff R et al. (2018) Alcohol, Marijuana, and Dating Abuse Perpetration by Young Adults: Results of a Daily Call Study. Violence Against Women 24:1187-1206 |
