Alcohol abuse in clients presenting with marital problems.

84 women and 56 men seeking marital therapy were assessed for alcohol abuse, current marital disagreements about alcohol abuse, and reported interspousal aggression. More than one-third of the men in the sample met the criterion for alcoholism on a standard alcoholism screening interview, one-fifth of the men self-reported drinking at unsafe levels, and more than four-fifths of the Ss reported marital disagreements about alcohol abuse at least "frequently." 69% of respondents reported the occurrence of physical aggression in their relationship. Reported alcohol problems were associated with more severe marital distress, more steps being taken toward divorce, and greater male aggression. Results suggest that routine screening of marital therapy clients for alcohol abuse is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting mild and severe husband-to-wife physical aggression.

Nonordered multinomial logistic models were used to estimate the odds of mild and severe husband-to-wife physical aggression in 11,870 White men. Being younger, having a lower income, and having an alcohol problem significantly increased the odds of either mild or severe physical aggression. A drug problem uniquely increased the risk of severe physical aggression. Marital discord and depressive symptomatology, but not work stress, further increased the odds of both mild and severe physical aggression, with marital discord being the most influential psychological variable. Compared with mildly physically aggressive men, those who were severely physically aggressive earned lower income, were more likely to report an alcohol or a drug problem, and had more marital discord and depressive symptomatology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol and aggressive personality styles: Potentiators of serious physical aggression against wives?

This study examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and marital aggression in a community sample (N?=?272) assessed in a longitudinal study at premarriage and at 6, 18, and 30 months of marriage. Participants completed self-report measures of alcohol problems and total alcohol consumption, aggressive personality style, marital aggression, marital adjustment, and divorce potential. Husbands' alcohol problems were associated with serious aggression at premarriage and at 6 months. Alcohol use interacted with aggressive personality traits in predicting aggression at 18 months. Husbands' premarital aggression, but not alcohol problems, was predictive of wives' future steps toward divorce and lower marital adjustment. Results are discussed in relation to the marital mediational model of alcohol and aggression in marriage and to the need to account for developmental changes in the relation between alcohol and aggression during the early years of marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal relations between marital aggression and alcohol problems.

Relations between couples' (N = 158) marital aggression and alcohol problems were examined across a two-year period. Alcohol problems and aggression were assessed via self-report and partner-reports. Results support bidirectional relations between marital aggression and problem drinking. T1 wife problem drinking was associated with decreased T2 verbal aggression; T1 husband problem drinking was associated with increased T2 physical aggression. T1 physical aggression predicted increased T2 wife problem drinking; it predicted increased T2 husband problem drinking only when wife problem drinking was low. T1 verbal marital aggression predicted increased T2 husband problem drinking only when husbands engaged in greater problem drinking at T1. Results suggest that problem drinking may prevent couples from adequately handling marital disagreements, and that marital problems may lead to drinking as a form of coping with stress; couples in which the husband engages in greater problem drinking than the wife may be at increased risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The occurrence of partner physical aggression on days of alcohol consumption: A longitudinal diary study.

The likelihood of partner physical aggression on days of male partners' alcohol consumption, during a 15-month period, was examined for men entering a domestic violence treatment program (n=137) and domestically violent men entering an alcoholism treatment program (n=135). For men entering the domestic violence treatment program (alcoholism treatment program odds in parentheses), the odds of any male-to-female physical aggression were more than 8 times (11 times) higher on days when men drank than on days of no alcohol consumption. The odds of severe male-to-female physical aggression were more than 11 times (11 times) higher on days of men's drinking than on days of no drinking. These findings support the proximal effect model of alcohol use and partner violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Progression into and out of binge drinking among high school students.

The current study examined binge drinking among high school students over an academic year. Adolescent drinkers (N?=?621; 58% female) were grouped into 4 trajectories: drinkers (35%), increasers (14%), decreasers (16%), and persistent binge drinkers (35%). Prospective analyses indicated several factors that predicted escalation and de-escalation of binge drinking. Increasers were more likely to regularly use alcohol and cigarettes at a younger age than drinkers. Compared with decreasers, persistent binge drinkers reported regular alcohol and marijuana use at younger ages. Lower levels of perceived student drinking appeared to be a protective factor for onset of binge drinking. The results highlight the need to study precursors to the naturally occurring fluctuations in binge drinking and suggest factors that may accentuate the risk of binge drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Binge drinking among female veterans affairs patients: Prevalence and associated risks.

This study evaluated the prevalence and associated risks of binge drinking, defined as having ≥4 drinks on an occasion in the past year, in a female patient population. Of 1,259 female Veterans Affairs patients surveyed, 780 reported drinking alcohol in the past year, and 305 (24% of respondents, 39% of drinkers) reported binge drinking in the past year; 84 (11% of drinkers) had done so monthly or more often. Age-adjusted logistic regression analyses indicated that women who reported past-year binge drinking monthly or more often reported significantly increased odds of morning drinking (odds ratio [OR]?=?40.3), others worrying about their drinking (OR?=?38.6), arguments after drinking (OR?=?13.5), hepatitis or cirrhosis (OR?=?3. 1), frequent injuries (OR?=?2.6), smoking (OR?=?3.7), drug use (OR?=?22.2), and multiple sexual partners (OR?=?4.6). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Husband alcohol expectancies, drinking, and marital-conflict styles as predictors of severe marital violence among newlywed couples.

The prospective effects of husband drinking, husband alcohol expectancies, and couple's marital-conflict style on husband alcohol-related aggression and severe violence in the 1st year of marriage were examined. Drinking predicted alcohol-related aggression, but husband's expectancy that alcohol causes aggression did not. Alcohol expectancies did predict severe violence in the marriage; however, the husband's belief that alcohol causes aggression was negatively related to the amount of severe violence. Alcohol expectancies interacted with marital conflict such that high amounts of severe violence were associated with men in high conflict marriages who did not have the expectancy that alcohol causes aggression. Additionally, in high conflict marriages, husband drinking was related to the amount of severe violence. Results are discussed in terms of alcohol-expectancy measures tapping general constructs of tolerance and attitudes toward antinormative behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Older adult controlled drinkers and abstainers

Little is known about the lifetime course of alcohol problems, especially during late adulthood. Many individuals with a history of alcohol problems achieve remission of their symptoms through abstinence or controlled drinking. This study examined 135 older adults with a prior history of alcohol diagnoses who were symptom free for at least the past year. Two groups were identified based on their alcohol consumption within the past year: abstinent individuals (n = 92) and controlled drinkers (n = 43). The groups did not differ in age, racial composition, education, income, or years since their last alcohol-related symptom, but they did differ in gender composition, indices of alcoholism severity, history of formal and informal treatment, as well as lifetime alcohol consumption patterns. Abstinent individuals had more severe alcohol problems, consumed higher amounts of alcohol on drinking days, had more years of heavy alcohol consumption, and were more likely to have attended alcohol treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The controlled drinkers had a longer history of moderate social drinking, and their current consumption habits appeared to be similar to symptom-free older adult drinkers. The results suggest that gender, alcoholism severity, history of formal and informal treatment, and past consumption patterns are associated with whether older adults with histories of alcoholism attain successful outcomes through abstinence or controlled drinking.     

Sex and age effects on the inheritance of alcohol problems: A twin study.

Male monozygotic cotwins of probands with alcohol abuse-dependence (n?=?85) were more likely than male same-sex dizygotic cotwins (n?=?96) to report alcohol, drug, and conduct disorder problems. For women, rates of problem behavior did not differ between monozygotic (n?=?44) and same-sex dizygotic (n?=?43) cotwins. Opposite-sex dizygotic twin data (n?=?88) revealed significant cross-sex transmission; alcohol problems were greatest among male cotwins of female probands. For men, proportion of liability variance associated with additive genetic factors was significantly greater when proband had an early (h–2?=?.73?±?.18) rather than late (h–2?=?.30?±?.26) age of onset. For women, heritability did not vary as a function of proband's age of onset, and the pooled estimate suggested little genetic influence (h–2?=?.00, SE not computable). Findings suggest that genetic influences may be substantial only in the etiology of early-onset male alcoholism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting practices as predictors of substance use, delinquency, and aggression among urban minority youth: Moderating effects of family structure and gender.

This study examined how parenting factors were associated with adolescent problem behaviors among urban minority youth and to what extent these relationships were moderated by family structure and gender. 228 6th grade students reported how often they use alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or engage in aggressive or delinquent behaviors; a parent or guardian reported their monitoring and other parenting practices. Findings indicated that boys and those from single-parent families engaged in the highest rates of problem behavior. More parental monitoring was associated with less delinquency overall, as well as less drinking in boys only. Eating family dinners together was associated with less aggression overall, as well as less delinquency in youth from single-parent families and in girls. Unsupervised time at home alone was associated with more smoking for girls only. Implications for prevention interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transitioning into and out of large-effect drinking in young adulthood.

As individuals age beyond the college years into young adulthood, many exhibit a tendency to moderate or "mature out of alcohol" involvement. The current study classified effect-drinking statuses in young adults and examined transitions among statuses using latent transition analysis, a latent variable state-sequential model for longitudinal data. At 3 occasions over 7 years (Years 1, 4, and 7), 443 men (47%) and women (mean age of both at baseline?=?18.5 years; 51% with family history of alcoholism) responded to 3 past-30-day items assessing drinking and subjective effects of drinking: whether the respondent drank alcohol, felt high, and felt drunk. Latent statuses included abstainers (14% at Year 1), limited-effect drinkers (8%), moderate-effect drinkers (23%), and large-effect drinkers (54%). Respondents with family history of alcoholism were less likely to transition out of large-effect drinking than those without family history. Men exhibited more severe initial effect-drinking statuses and lower transition probabilities into less severe effect-drinking statuses than women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcoholic-spouse interaction as a function of alcoholism subtype and alcohol consumption interaction.

This study assessed the impact of alcoholism subtype on marital interaction, a research focus stimulated by the investigators' earlier findings linking drinking style with differential levels of marital satisfaction and stability. In the current effort, observations of 49 alcoholics and their wives were conducted during sessions when alcohol was consumed and during nondrinking sessions. Different patterns of interactions emerged for episodic and steady alcoholics. On the drink nights, episodic alcoholic couples evidenced less problem solving than did the steady alcoholic couples. Additionally, among episodic couples, the husbands were more negative on the drink nights than were the wives, whereas among steady couples, wives were more negative than were the alcoholic husbands. The interaction displayed by the episodic alcoholics and their spouses was suggestive of a coercive control pattern. In contrast, the steady alcoholic and his spouse displayed a pattern suggestive of high levels of problem solving. Further research is necessary to determine whether these two different interaction patterns are predictive of continued alcohol abuse or the exacerbation of marital problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neurocognitive dysfunction in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and alcoholism.

The authors administered the Halstead–Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery to schizophrenic groups with (n?=?54) and without (n?=?217) coexisting alcoholism, nonschizophrenic groups with alcoholism (n?=?231), and a patient comparison group (n?=?145) to determine the extent of additive cognitive impairment in schizophrenia associated with alcoholism and to compare cognitive function in alcoholism and schizophrenia. The additive effects of alcoholism on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia were subtle but were consistently identifiable. Cognitive dysfunction in alcoholism was less severe than in schizophrenia with or without alcoholism. The magnitude of additive effects of alcoholism on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia was age related with a significant interaction between age and presence or absence of alcoholism on a global index of cognitive dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in the relations between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior among problem drinkers: A three-wave study.

Prior research has suggested that the relation between depression and drinking behavior is stronger for women than for men. In a 3-wave study spanning 3 years, we examined the nature of reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior among women (n?=?207) and men (n?=?207) seeking detoxification or referral services for their drinking problems. Latent variable structural equation modeling analyses revealed that more baseline depression was associated with less alcohol consumption 1 year later among women and men. However, later on, more depression predicted heavier alcohol consumption, but only among women. Among women and men, heavier alcohol consumption predicted more subsequent depression, although the timing of this effect differed by gender. Reciprocal effects between depression and drinking problems were found only among men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Binge drinking in Chinese, Korean, and White college students: Genetic and ethnic group differences.

Studies of Asian college students have found that rates of binge drinking are associated with variation in the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene. Chinese and Koreans have different prevalence rates of the ALDH2?*?2 allele, alcohol use, and alcoholism. The association of ALDH2 status and ethnic group with binge drinking was examined in 328 Chinese, Korean, and White college students. Ethnic group differences were found, with Whites having the highest rate of binge drinking, followed by Koreans and then Chinese. Among Asian participants, ALDH2 status and ethnicity related to binge drinking in an additive manner. Possessing an ALDH2?*?2 allele and being Chinese were protective factors, and being White and being Korean without an ALDH2?*?2 allele were risk factors for binge drinking. These results suggest that ALDH2 status, as well as other factors that differ in Koreans and Chinese, but do not interact with ALDH2, are associated with binge drinking among Asians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress and binge drinking: A daily process examination of stressor pile-up and socioeconomic status in affect regulation.

The goal of this study was to enhance understanding of the interconnections between stress, negative mood, and alcohol use. Daily diary data collected over eight consecutive nights from a nationally representative adult cohort were used to identify if (1) daily stress and cumulative stress pile-up were associated with increased risk of binge drinking, (2) negative affect mediated associations between stressors and binge drinking, and (3) associations among stress, negative affect and binge drinking were moderated by educational attainment as an indicator of socioeconomic status. Results indicated that the odds of binge drinking were higher on days that individuals experienced more severe stressors in contrast to no-stress days. Further, the odds of binge drinking also increased as stressors piled-up over consecutive days. There was no evidence that negative affect mediated associations between stressors and binge drinking. Associations of daily stressors and stressor pile-up with binge drinking were moderated by educational attainment. Study results suggest that affect regulation researchers need to handle "stress" in a multidimensional way and better situate stressors and individuals stress responses within their social context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping With Distress by Eating or Drinking: Role of Trait Urgency and Expectancies.

The authors propose that trait urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed) is a risk factor for both alcohol abuse and bulimic symptoms, that disorder-specific expectancies influence whether one engages in one behavior or the other, and that expectancies moderate urgency's influence on those behaviors. Cross-sectional findings were consistent with the model. Problems from alcohol use were comorbid with binge eating and purging. Trait urgency was associated with both behaviors. Alcohol expectancies were associated with drinking levels and with problem drinking, but not with eating. Eating expectancies were associated with binge eating, but not with alcohol use or problems. Urgency's effect on binge eating was moderated by expectancies, but its effect on alcohol use and problem drinking was not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antecedents and consequences of boys' depression and aggression: Family and school linkages.

This study, conducted with 246 mothers and sons, examined the influences of change in marital conflict and mother–son aggression on boys' aggression and depression and how boys' aggression and depression contributed to their being disliked by their peers. There was also interest in how boys' family and peer experiences contributed to their subsequent behavior. Boys who experienced increases in marital conflict were more depressed, whereas boys who experienced negative interactions with their mothers were more aggressive. Boys who were either depressed or aggressive were more disliked by their peers, and being disliked was associated with aggressive behavior subsequently. However, being depressed appeared to attenuate the negative effect of being disliked by one's peers. The association between boys' earlier aggression and their subsequent aggression with their peers was mediated by dislike by their peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feeling controlled in marriage: A phenomenon specific to physically aggressive couples?

Spouses in maritally happy nonaggressive (H; n?=?21), distressed nonaggressive (DNA; n?=?16), and distressed aggressive (DA; n?=?20) marriages were interviewed about their perceptions of their spouse as controlling. Four areas of spousal control were assessed: involvement in decision making, relationships with family and friends, freedom to plan activities independently, and sense of competence and self-respect. Overall, as expected, spouses in happy marriages reported feeling less controlled than spouses in the 2 distressed groups. Few gender differences were obtained, with the exception that wives in aggressive marriages were more likely to report that their husbands controlled their sense of competence and self-respect. Differences between the DA and DNA groups depended on the specific area of control. Wives in the aggressive couples were significantly more likely than their husbands to state that their spouse's aggression was an attempt to control them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)