Alcohol Use, Trait Anger, and Intimate Partner Aggression Perpetration in College Student Couples

Purpose Intimate Partner Aggression (IPA) is a significant public health problem, and risk for IPA is often highest among young adults. Previous studies have found that both alcohol use and trait anger are associated with greater levels of physical, sexual, and psychological IPA perpetration. However, IPA is a dyadic process that is impacted by the behavior of both partners, and little is known about whether alcohol use and trait anger by one or both partners may interact to predict IPA. Thus, the present study examines whether alcohol use and trait anger interacted to predict physical, sexual, and psychological IPA perpetration.Methods Data from 181 couples between the ages of 18-25 years were analyzed using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) framework, allowing for both actor and partner effects to be examined.Results Results indicated that actor trait anger was associated with increased levels of psychological IPA perpetration (B = 1.25, p < .001). Both actor alcohol use (ERR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.01-1.16) and actor trait anger (ERR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.17) were associated with increased physical IPA perpetration. A significant interaction (p < .001) between partner alcohol use and partner trait anger indicated that, partner alcohol use was associated with lower levels of actor sexual IPA perpetration at high but not low levels of partner trait anger (ERR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.75-0.88). On the other hand, partner alcohol use was associated with higher levels of actor sexual IPA perpetration at low but not high levels of partner trait anger (ERR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.02-1.15).Conclusion Findings highlight the importance of targeting alcohol use and trait anger to reduce IPA in young adults.