Drinking and marital aggression in newlyweds

An event-based analysis of drinking and the occurrence of husband marital aggression.

Bibliographic Data

ID23353374
AuthorsKenneth E Leonard (0000-0001-6658-1264, Matrix Institute on Addictions), Brian M Quigley (0000-0002-3750-5171, Matrix Institute on Addictions)
Year1999
Volume60
Issue4
Pages537-545
Publication date1999-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1946-584X • E-ISSN: 1946-5858
PublisherAlcohol Research Documentation, Inc. (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.15288/jsa.1999.60.537
PMID10463811
OpenAlexW1979487992
LanguageEN
Citations received61
References cited7

OBJECTIVE: Research suggests that domestically violent men are more likely to be heavy drinkers than nonviolent men. However, very little data has addressed the relationship between the occurrence of a domestic violence episode and the co-occurrence of husband or wife alcohol consumption. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between husband and wife drinking and whether the most serious conflict involved verbal aggression, moderate physical aggression or severe physical aggression. METHOD: Newlywed couples (n = 366) who were assessed with respect to risk factors for marital violence at the time of marriage were interviewed at the end of their first year of marriage. These in-person interviews focused on characteristics (location, presence of other people, husband drinking, wife drinking) of the most severe verbal conflict, and the first and the most severe episode of physical aggression. RESULTS: After controlling for individual difference risk factors including husband and wife drinking patterns, husband drinking was more likely in episodes of physical vs episodes of verbal aggression. This finding was consistent in both husband and wife, and consistent in both between-groups and within-groups analyses. Wife drinking was largely unrelated to occurrence or severity of violence. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the contention that alcohol use may contribute to the occurrence and/or severity of domestic violence, particularly in the early stages of marriage.

Aggression · Conflict tactics scale · Domestic violence · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Psychiatry · Suicide prevention · Wife · Child Abuse and Trauma · Clinical Psychology · Demography · Elder Abuse and Neglect · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine · Psychology