Alcohol use and dating violence among college students

Introduction.-Numerous studies have focused on the association of dating violence (DV) and alcohol use. However, little research has as yet assessed their co-occurrence in short timeframes. Objective.-This study aims to investigate alcohol use in the two hours preceding DV and in the two hours following DV. Method.-College students (n = 649, 71% females, mean age = 19.8) reported their experience of DV and their hazardous drinking on self-administered questionnaires. They also reported their alcohol use in the two hours preceding-as well as following-a specific DV event (i.e. insult between dating partners). Results.-Chi-square tests outline that alcohol use in the two hours preceding an insult is associated with alcohol use in the two hours following an insult. Regressions show that higher scores of hazardous drinking puts students at risk of insulting or being insulted in a context of alcohol use. Conclusion.-The findings can contribute to DV prevention programs among college students. (c) 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.