Men's Coercive Condom Use Resistance: The Roles of Alcohol and Emotional Factors.

OBJECTIVE: Men's coercive condom use resistance (CUR) with female partners is common and is associated with greater alcohol consumption than men's noncoercive CUR engagement. Prior research indicates that emotion-related factors are relevant to alcohol-involved coercive CUR. Thus, in this alcohol administration study, we examined emotional factors as distal and proximal predictors of alcohol-involved coercive CUR among young men who have sex with women. METHOD: Non-problem drinking young adult men who have sex with women (N = 282) were recruited from the local community, and as part of a larger study, completed a background survey and an in-lab alcohol administration session that included a mood induction and sexual scenario task using a 2 (sober vs. intoxicated) x 2 (positive mood vs. negative mood) experimental design. RESULTS: Path analysis testing a moderated mediation model revealed that for participants in the sober, positive mood, and intoxicated, negative mood conditions, there was a positive association between distal ER difficulties and motives to have sex to cope with negative emotions. Additionally, distal ER difficulties were positively associated with proximal difficulties modulating one's emotions among intoxicated participants. Among those with greater proximal difficulties modulating their emotions, state anger was positively associated with coercive CUR intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate the importance of alcohol intoxication, emotions and emotion regulation, and sexual coping motives in men's coercive CUR likelihood, demonstrating potential malleable targets for prevention efforts.

Coerced Condomless Sex: A Scoping Review of Qualitative Studies.

Coerced condomless sex is a prevalent form of sexual coercion that is associated with severe negative health consequences. This scoping review addresses the current lack of synthesized qualitative evidence on coerced condomless sex. Our systematic literature search yielded 21 articles that met review eligibility criteria. Themes of coerced condomless sex were organized into three categories (tactics, motives, and sequelae) and presented separately for studies based on whether researchers stipulated pregnancy promotion intent as underlying the behavior. Coerced condomless sex perpetration tactics ranged from verbal pressure to physical assault. Besides pregnancy promotion, perpetration motives included control, dominance, entrapment, enhancing sexual experiences, and avoiding conflict. Following coerced condomless sex, victims reported developing protective strategies. They also reported experiencing various negative emotional, relational, and physical health effects. Interventions that specifically address coerced condomless sex perpetration and provide supportive programs for those who have experienced coercive condomless sex may be beneficial.

Preliminary Efficacy of a Web-Based Alcohol and Emotion Regulation Intervention on Sexual Risk Behaviors Among College Women.

OBJECTIVE: Using substances before sex may impact sexual decision-making among young women and increase their risk for a variety of negative consequences, including sexual victimization, sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancies. A brief, web-based intervention combining alcohol reduction strategies with emotion regulation (ER) skills demonstrated initial efficacy at reducing heavy drinking and improving ER abilities among college women with sexual victimization histories. The present study represents a secondary analysis of this intervention to evaluate its preliminary efficacy on reducing sexual risk behaviors, specifically alcohol and drug use before sex. METHOD: The sample comprised 200 heavy drinking college women with histories of sexual victimization randomized to an assessment only control or the intervention consisting of 14 brief online alcohol reduction and ER skill building modules administered daily over a two-week period. The analytic sample included 173 women who reported on their substance use before sex at baseline and at least one of two (1-mo and/or 6-mo) follow-up surveys. RESULTS: Repeated measures mixed models revealed significant time-by-intervention interaction effects on alcohol use. Women who received the intervention had a significant decrease in alcohol use before sex from baseline to 1-month follow-up. Although levels of alcohol use before sex continued to be lower at the 6-month follow-up relative to baseline, differences did not reach statistical significance. Time-by-intervention interaction effects on drug use before sex were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Skills to reduce alcohol use and improve ER skills may be beneficial in helping women make adaptive decisions surrounding their sexual wellbeing.

Alcohol Expectancies for Sexual Enhancement, Event-Level Alcohol Use, and Likelihood of Sexual Aggression Perpetration: A Timeline Followback Approach.

Sexual aggression (SA) is a significant public health problem, with the majority of SA involving alcohol. The present study examined associations between alcohol expectancies for sexual enhancement, event-level alcohol use, and the likelihood of SA perpetration. Young, adult non-problem drinking men participated in a laboratory session and completed a background survey that included measures of alcohol expectancies. Subsequently, men completed 6-week and 3-month follow-up surveys in which they reported their sexual experiences each day during the intervening 6-week period using Timeline Followback procedures. The analytic sample consisted of the 421 men (Mage = 24.66, SD = 2.69) who reported having sex at least once during the follow-up period. Multilevel models showed a significant alcohol expectancies X alcohol use interaction at the between-person level: Controlling for time and alcohol expectancies for aggression, stronger alcohol expectancies for sexual enhancement were associated with greater SA perpetration likelihood among men who consumed high amounts of alcohol before sexual encounters but not among men who consumed low amounts. Alcohol prevention programs should consider addressing men's alcohol expectancies for sexual enhancement to reduce risk for SA perpetration.

Preliminary Efficacy of Mindfulness and Cognitive Restructuring Interventions to Reduce Nonconsensual Sex Intentions.

OBJECTIVE: Victims of sexual violence experience detrimental physical and mental health consequences. Therefore, developing programs to prevent sexual violence is of utmost importance. Our previous work provided preliminary support for the efficacy of brief mindfulness and cognitive restructuring (CR) interventions in reducing sexual violence intentions. Because alcohol use and alcohol expectancies (AE) have been identified as risk factors for sexual violence, this secondary data analysis aimed to examine whether alcohol use and men's expectations that alcohol may affect women's vulnerability of being sexually coerced moderate the usefulness of these two interventions on nonconsensual sex intentions. METHOD: Single, young, heterosexual, heavy episodic drinking men with sexual violence histories were randomly assigned to receive mindfulness or CR skills training, or attention control. Half of the participants in each intervention condition were then randomized to alcohol or sober conditions. All participants read a hypothetical sexual scenario and rated their intention to engage in nonconsensual sex with their hypothetical sexual partner. RESULTS: Mindfulness was effective in lowering nonconsensual sex intentions among sober men with high AE for women's vulnerability and intoxicated men with low AE for women's vulnerability to sexual coercion. CR was effective in lowering nonconsensual sex intentions among intoxicated men with low and moderate AE for women's vulnerability to sexual coercion. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of mindfulness and CR in lowering nonconsensual sex intentions under certain circumstances and highlight men's AE about women's vulnerability to sexual coercion as a critical factor that interacts with alcohol use to influence the efficacy of mindfulness and CR.

Preliminary Efficacy of a Brief Cognitive Restructuring Intervention to Reduce Sexual Coercion Intentions: Roles of Alcohol and Emotion Regulation.

Sexual coercion (SC), the use of nonphysical tactics to obtain sexual contact with a nonconsenting partner, is a prevalent form of sexual misconduct that is associated with several physical and psychological health concerns. Therefore, effective preventative interventions to reduce SC prevalence are needed. Alcohol consumption and difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) are two risk factors that contribute to SC. Cognitive restructuring (CR) has the potential to reduce SC intentions by improving ER through actively challenging one's thoughts to modify emotions. This study represents a secondary data analysis to examine the effectiveness of a brief, web-based CR intervention in reducing SC intentions. To test whether the intervention would remain beneficial in the presence of alcohol, we tested effects among intoxicated versus sober participants. Young, male, heavy episodic drinkers with a history of sexual aggression (N = 137) were randomized into a CR intervention versus control condition as well as alcohol consumption versus no alcohol condition. Then, participants completed a sexual aggression analog scenario. General linear regression analyses showed that intoxicated men reported stronger SC intentions than sober men. Additionally, relative to controls, men in the CR condition who had better preexisting ER cognitive reappraisal skills had significantly lower SC intentions. Our findings provide preliminary support for CR as an effective strategy to reduce SC intentions among sexually aggressive, heavy episodic drinking men with better cognitive reappraisal skills. If findings are replicated, this brief, web-based CR intervention could overcome potential challenges in dissemination and be easily applied in clinical settings.

Receipt of Coercive Condom Use Resistance: A Scoping Review.

Condom use resistance (CUR) refers to practices used to obtain unprotected sex with a partner who wishes to use a condom. Coercive CUR is a manipulative and aggressive form of CUR, which is associated with detrimental mental, physical, and sexual health consequences. This review synthesizes quantitative evidence on the prevalence and correlates of experiencing coercive CUR. A systematic approach, including title, abstract, and full-text review, was used to identify relevant empirical studies. Thirty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Prevalence of experiencing coercive CUR ranged from 0.1% to 59.5%. Significant correlates of receiving coercive CUR included interpersonal violence, sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis, emotional stress, and drug use. Importantly, vulnerable populations (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, men who have sex with men, sex workers) and people with low perceived control and resistive efficacy (i.e., the ability to say "no") had an increased likelihood of experiencing coercive CUR. Methodological weaknesses in the current literature include a lack of longitudinal studies and studies that examine the effectiveness of interventions, as well as failure to use consistent measures and include samples of men and sexual minorities. Future research should address these limitations. Intervention and prevention strategies should prioritize populations that are at greater risk for experiencing coercive CUR to achieve better health equity outcomes.

A Scoping Review of Nonconsensual Condom Removal ("Stealthing") Research.

Nonconsensual condom removal (NCCR; also known as "stealthing") involves the removal of a condom before or during sexual intercourse without a partner's sexual consent. Within the past several years, nations across the globe have codified NCCR as a form of sexual violence penalized by civil and/or criminal penalties. Given the recent legal attention to this behavior, we performed a scoping review of the peer-reviewed, empirical, English-language studies conducted on NCCR in order to summarize the current state of this field of research. Our scoping review yielded 27 articles meeting study inclusion criteria. Data on NCCR victimization and perpetration prevalence rates and correlates, as well as perceptions of NCCR, were extracted. The majority of the reviewed studies were conducted within the past 5 years and pertained to NCCR victimization. Rates of NCCR victimization ranged from 7.9% to 43.0% for women and 5.0% to 19.0% for men who have sex with men; rates of NCCR perpetration ranged from 5.1% to 9.8% for men and 0% for women. NCCR correlates included sociodemographic variables, relationship type, psychological factors, and sexual health concerns. Perceptions of NCCR were largely negative. The nascent field of NCCR research provides empirical evidence from several countries regarding concerning rates of NCCR. Building upon this foundation, continued research regarding NCCR is imperative. Studies that further delineate NCCR prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes would provide critical information beneficial to the development of evidence-based prevention and intervention programs targeting reductions in NCCR.

Sexual Compulsivity Mediates the Association Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Condom Use Resistance Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women.

Despite the continued prevalence of HIV and condoms' proven effectiveness in HIV prevention, many young men continue to engage in condom use resistance (CUR). Research shows that sexual compulsivity and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) victimization are risk factors for CUR. Given that sexual activity between men is the most common method through which HIV is transmitted, and that men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) are up to five times as likely to contract or transmit HIV as men who have sex with women only (MSWO), understanding the CUR behaviors of MSMW is uniquely important. Young, single men who had had sex with a woman in the past year (N = 623) completed questionnaires assessing their previous sexual experiences with men and women, history of CSA, sexual compulsivity, and CUR to determine how MSMW classification may moderate the associations between these variables. Results revealed full, moderated mediation, such that CSA was significantly associated with sexual compulsivity among MSMW, but not MSWO. Furthermore, sexual compulsivity was subsequently associated with CUR, in a model accounting for 5.35% of CUR variance. Such findings suggest that exposure to CSA may render MSMW especially susceptible to maladaptive, sexually compulsive desires and behaviors. As a result, MSMW may be more likely to disregard the inherent risks associated with condomless sexual activity and engage in CUR. Thus, intervention programs seeking to reduce the transmission of HIV and other STIs should prioritize targeting MSMW who experienced CSA to reduce sexual compulsivity and increase condom use.

Associations Among Alcohol-Related Factors and Men's Nonconsensual Condom Removal Perpetration.

Nonconsensual condom removal (NCCR) is a form of sexual violence that a significant minority of men use to obtain unprotected sex. Experiencing NCCR is associated with serious physical and mental health consequences, such as sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies, anxiety, and depression. Alcohol use is known to be associated with sexual violence in general; however, limited research has been done on the association between alcohol-related factors and NCCR specifically. Thus, the present study examined the associations between event-level drinking, daily drinking, drinking motives, alcohol expectancies, and NCCR. Young, single, heterosexually active men (N = 96) completed cross-sectional measures of their NCCR behavior, event-level drinking, drinking motives, and alcohol expectancies. A total of 19 (19.8%) participants reported successfully engaging in NCCR at least once since age 14. Results showed that consuming more alcohol during the event, having more highly intoxicated partners, drinking to enhance sex, and holding more negative alcohol expectancies were associated with increased likelihood of NCCR. To effectively decrease the rates of NCCR, prevention efforts could aim to decrease event-level alcohol consumption for both men and their partners and to challenge men's beliefs regarding alcohol's role in sexual behavior. Given the current study's limitations, future studies should consider employing an ecological momentary assessment design to avoid recall bias and include more diverse samples to increase the generalizability of findings.

The effects of alcohol and marijuana co-use patterns on intimate partner aggression perpetration.

Alcohol and marijuana are two of the most widely used substances in the U.S, with rates of alcohol and marijuana co-use increasing in recent years. Despite this increase, little is known about the effects of alcohol and marijuana co-use patterns (e.g., simultaneous, concurrent) on intimate partner aggression (IPA) perpetration. The purpose of the current study was to examine differences in IPA among simultaneous and concurrent alcohol and marijuana use groups and an alcohol-only group. Participants were 496 individuals (57% identifying as a woman) recruited nationally in April 2020 via Qualtrics Research Services who reported being in a current relationship and recently consuming alcohol. Individuals completed an online survey that included demographics, measures of COVID-19 stress, alcohol and marijuana use, and physical and psychological IPA perpetration. Based on survey responses, individuals were categorized as belonging to the alcohol use only group (n = 300), the concurrent alcohol and marijuana use group (n = 129), or the regular simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use group (n = 67). Due to inclusion criteria, there was no marijuana use only group. Individuals with regular simultaneous or concurrent alcohol and marijuana co-use reported more frequent physical and psychological IPA perpetration compared to those who only used alcohol. Neither physical nor psychological IPA perpetration frequency differed between individuals who reported regular simultaneous versus concurrent alcohol and marijuana co-use. Results suggest that alcohol and marijuana co-use in general, and not the specific pattern of use, is associated with an increased likelihood of IPA perpetration.

Preliminary Efficacy of a Cognitive Restructuring Intervention for Intimate Partner Aggression: Emotional Clarity as a Mechanism of Change.

Despite the fact that intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a widespread public health problem, empirically supported interventions for IPA are limited. Furthermore, existing interventions tend to be resource-intensive and may not adequately address the risk factors that serve to maintain IPA, resulting in challenges to intervention dissemination and implementation. Based on theoretical and empirical findings linking emotional clarity and IPA, this study represents a secondary data analysis to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of a brief web-based cognitive restructuring (CR) intervention to reduce psychological and physical IPA perpetration intentions by increasing emotional clarity skills. In all, 137 men were randomized into a CR intervention versus control condition and subsequently completed an aggression analog scenario. Results of structural equation modeling analyses showed a significant indirect effect of the intervention on psychological IPA intentions via increased emotional clarity. Specifically, men in the CR intervention condition evidenced greater emotional clarity as compared to men in the control condition, which, in turn, was related to lower intentions to perpetrate psychological IPA. The indirect effect from the CR intervention to physical IPA intentions via emotional clarity was not statistically significant. These findings provide promising initial support for the usefulness of the current CR intervention in reducing psychological IPA. Next steps in this line of research include expansion to a randomized controlled trial that tests intervention effects on real-world IPA perpetration across more diverse samples. Importantly, our findings highlight that CR skills can be delivered via a brief web-based intervention, which decreases potential barriers to dissemination and implementation.

Coercive Condom Use Resistance: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Sexual aggression research has recently expanded to include empirical investigations of coercion during condom negotiation and use. This scoping review presents and discusses peer-reviewed, quantitative, English-language studies conducted on coercive condom use resistance (CUR) behavior and intentions. Method: Our systematic literature search yielded 20 articles that assessed coercive CUR perpetration behaviors or intentions and met other inclusion criteria. Data on rates and correlates of coercive CUR behavior and intentions were extracted. Results: Identified studies used varied methods including cross-sectional surveys, 3-month longitudinal studies, and alcohol administration experiments, primarily with young adult samples. Overall, results indicated that a substantial minority (up to 42.6%) of sampled individuals endorsed lifetime perpetration of coercive CUR, with men reporting higher prevalence of coercive CUR perpetration than women. The majority of studies (70%) assessed coercive CUR through the Condom Use Resistance Tactics Scale (Davis et al., 2014). Although correlates largely differed by gender, alcohol-related variables emerged as risk factors for both men and women. Conclusions: Burgeoning evidence indicates that coercive CUR is relatively common, and, particularly for men, risk factors are similar to those associated with sexual aggression more generally. Review findings demonstrate that continued research in this area is warranted and should expand to include more diverse populations, to consider other risk factors and sequelae, and to utilize novel methodological approaches.

Preliminary Efficacy of a Web-Based Alcohol and Emotion Regulation Intervention on Intimate Partner Aggression Among College Women.

Objective: Intimate partner aggression (IPA), encompassing psychological and physical aggression, is a public health concern due to its high rates among young adults. Research and theory connect heavy drinking and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties to IPA and highlight their potential role in reducing IPA. A web-based intervention combining alcohol reduction strategies with ER skills demonstrated initial efficacy at reducing heavy drinking and improving ER abilities among college women with sexual assault victimization histories. Method: The present study represents a secondary analysis of this brief web-based intervention to evaluate its preliminary efficacy on IPA. The sample comprised 200 heavy drinking college women with histories of sexual assault victimization randomized to an assessment only control or the intervention consisting of 14 brief online alcohol reduction and ER skill building modules administered daily over a two-week period. The analytic sample included 103 women who reported their psychological and physical IPA at both the 1- and 6-month follow-up surveys. Results: After controlling for alcohol use, repeated measures mixed models examining changes from baseline to 6-month follow-up by condition revealed a significant time-by-intervention interaction effect on psychological IPA. Women who received the intervention had a significant decrease in psychological IPA from baseline to 6-month follow-up; there was no change in psychological IPA among women in the control condition. There was no significant effect of the intervention on physical IPA. Conclusion: Reducing alcohol use and improving ER skills may be beneficial in helping women cope with relational conflict, thereby decreasing their use of psychological IPA.

COVID Stress, socioeconomic deprivation, and intimate partner aggression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a prevalent public health concern that is associated with multiple negative consequences. Rates of IPA in the U.S. have increased since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, likely due to stress associated with the pandemic. Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with COVID-19 outcomes as well as IPA. However, whether socioeconomic deprivation interacts with COVID-19 stress in predicting IPA remains unclear. METHODS: Using a sample of 510 individuals recruited via Qualtrics Research Services in April 2020, the present study tested whether socioeconomic deprivation moderates the association between COVID-19 stress and IPA perpetration and victimization. Participants completed a questionnaire battery that included measures of COVID-19 stressors and physical and psychological IPA perpetration and victimization. In addition, participants reported their residential zip codes, which were subsequently matched with scores on the Social Deprivation Index, a composite measure of seven demographic variables from the 5-year American Community Survey. RESULTS: Sequential generalized linear models in Mplus Version 8.7 showed that the effects of COVID-19 stress on physical IPA perpetration and psychological IPA victimization can be best understood through its interactive effects with socioeconomic deprivation. Higher COVID-19 stress was associated with higher levels of physical IPA perpetration and psychological IPA victimization when socioeconomic deprivation was low but not when socioeconomic deprivation was high. Importantly, however, overall rates of IPA were higher among individuals with higher socioeconomic deprivation than among individuals with lower socioeconomic deprivation, regardless of the amount of COVID-19 stress they experienced. CONCLUSIONS: The present analyses implicate COVID-19 stress as a critical correlate of IPA and show that the association between this stress and physical IPA perpetration and psychological IPA victimization may be particularly salient among individuals who live in areas of lower socioeconomic deprivation. Furthermore, our results clearly pinpoint the detrimental effects of socioeconomic deprivation more broadly, showing that individuals who live in more deprived areas tend to have high levels of IPA regardless of their level of COVID-19 stress. These findings call for public health policies at the community and societal level that target not only COVID-related stress but also the impacts of socioeconomic inequality.

Effects of hurricane harvey on trajectories of hostile conflict among newlywed couples.

Natural disasters have been purported to increase, and decrease, hostile conflict in intimate relationships, but heavy reliance on retrospective designs prohibits strong tests of these contrasting perspectives. The present study aims to resolve this ambiguity using a sample of newlywed couples from Houston, Texas who reported their levels of hostile conflict three times before and three times after experiencing Hurricane Harvey. Latent growth curve piecewise regression models showed that robust declines in conflict prior to the hurricane were slowed after the hurricane hit, such that posthurricane conflict slopes flattened and became nonsignificant. Thus, by disrupting natural declines in conflict that occur in the early years of marriage, Hurricane Harvey appears to have been detrimental for couples. Factors examined in relation to hostile conflict (including personality traits, adverse childhood events, stress, and relationship satisfaction) were similar in their predictive power prior to and following the hurricane, suggesting that the hurricane did not markedly alter which couples were most prone to hostile interactions. Implications for understanding relationships in the context of natural disasters are outlined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Greater Perceptions of Economic Deprivation in Childhood are Associated with More Sexual Risk Behaviors in Adulthood via Younger Age of Sexual Initiation.

Introduction: Sexual risk behaviors are a public health concern. Although sexual risk behaviors are overrepresented among economically disadvantaged individuals, the mechanisms underlying the link from economic deprivation to sexual risk behaviors are not well understood. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether one of the earliest indicators of sexual risk, age of sexual initiation, mediates the link between young men's perceptions of economic deprivation while growing up and sexual risk behaviors in adulthood. Method: Six-hundred twenty-four men provided data on background variables and risk. Path analyses were conducted in Mplus Version 8. Results: Perceptions of economic deprivation while growing up were related to younger age of sexual initiation, which in turn was related to higher risk for sex earlier in a relationship, condomless sex, STIs, unintended pregnancy, and condom use resistance. Conclusion: These findings highlight important avenues for sexual health and health equity promotion.

When Does Verbal Aggression in Relationships Covary With Physical Violence?

OBJECTIVE: Psychological aggression is common in intimate relationships, yet only a subset of psychologically aggressive couples also engage in physical violence. We examine two factors proposed to identify which psychologically aggressive couples display physical violence, emphasizing (a) couples' negative and ineffective communication during relationship-focused conversations and (b) the demands imposed upon couples by chronic social and economic disadvantage. METHOD: From 862 spouses (431 couples), we collected self-report data on psychological and physical aggression, observational data capturing the quality of their communication, and self-report data assessing established indicators of socioeconomic vulnerability. Tests of moderation were conducted with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). RESULTS: The association between psychological and physical aggression was stronger among couples who displayed lower-quality communication and among couples facing higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. The moderating effect of couple communication remained significant after controlling for socioeconomic disadvantage, and the moderating effect of socioeconomic disadvantage remained significant after controlling for communication. All effects remained after controlling for relationship satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Specific communication skills and broad indices of socioeconomic vulnerability make independent contributions to acts of physical aggression among psychologically aggressive couples. Conceptual frameworks are needed to integrate these two levels of analysis, and intervention models are needed that identify at-risk couples and that modify the conditions that heighten their likelihood of physical aggression.

Intimate Partner Aggression and Marital Satisfaction: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis.

Intimate partner aggression is common in dissatisfied relationships, yet it remains unclear whether intimate partner aggression is a correlate of relationship satisfaction, whether it predicts or follows from relationship satisfaction over time, or whether longitudinal associations are in fact bidirectional in nature. The present study evaluates these perspectives by examining self-reports of aggressive behaviors in relation to corresponding self-reports of relationship satisfaction among a sample of 431 low-income, ethnically diverse (76% Hispanic, 12% African American, 12% Caucasian) newlywed couples. Using a cross-lagged panel analysis, we examined associations between aggression and satisfaction across four time points, spaced by 9-month intervals, during the first 2.5 years of marriage. Cross-sectionally, less satisfied couples reported higher levels of intimate partner aggression. Longitudinally, aggression was a more consistent predictor of satisfaction than vice versa, though neither pathway was particularly robust: Intimate partner aggression was a significant predictor of relationship satisfaction at 4 of the 12 tested lags, whereas relationship satisfaction was a significant predictor of intimate partner aggression at only one of 12 lags. Because all effects were relatively weak and inconsistent, more specificity is needed to clarify circumstances under which aggression does and does not predict satisfaction, including whether the predictive power of the aggression-to-satisfaction association varies based on the severity of aggression or other individual (e.g., personality) or external (e.g., stress and environmental context) factors. Together, results indicate that dissatisfied couples are more likely to engage in intimate partner aggression, but being dissatisfied is unlikely to increase the level of aggression a couple engages in over time.

Cumulative Risk and Intimate Partner Aggression.

Objective: Intimate Partner Aggression (IPA) is recognized as a serious challenge to public health, and numerous models specify individual, interpersonal, and contextual antecedents of relationally aggressive behavior. The present study aims to synthesize prior work by determining whether the accumulation of selected factors at these three levels of analysis, when considered simultaneously, predicts IPA. Method: We collected self-report, observational, and social network data from 462 newlywed spouses (231 couples) from low-income neighborhoods at three separate time points across the first 18 months of marriage. Results: Latent growth curve analyses showed that individual and relational risk were consistently related to IPA initial status (i.e., intercepts), for husbands and wives. Effects of contextual risk on IPA were less consistent. All risk indices were unrelated to 18-month changes in IPA. Furthermore, individual and dyadic deficits increased risk for IPA independent of partners' contextual risk. Conclusions: Even after adjusting for potential distal influences, individual and dyadic variables emerge as clear risk factors of IPA. Although there were no significant associations between contextual variables and IPA intercepts and slopes in LGCM, we did find evidence for correlations between all three facets of risk. In light of this co-occurrence of risk across various domains, we recommend locating interventions that target individual and relational risk (e.g., therapies addressing neurotic tendencies and couple therapy with a communication skills training component) specifically within higher-risk environments.