Do couple drinking episodes lead to intimate partner aggression? An ecological momentary assessment study of same-sex and mixed-sex couples.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol use is an established risk factor for intimate partner aggression (IPA); however, few studies have considered whether couple drinking episodes increase the short-term likelihood of IPA episodes. The present ecological momentary assessment study considered the temporal effects of alcohol consumption on IPA perpetration and victimization within a sample of community couples at elevated risk of aggression. METHOD: Mixed-sex (n = 191), same-sex male (n = 31), and same-sex female (n = 27) cohabiting couples (total N = 249; ages 21-35) made three independent, random reports for 30 consecutive days. Dyadic multilevel modeling was used to examine the impact of each partner's drinking episodes on the occurrence of verbal and physical perpetration and victimization events within the next 4 hr, using the actor-partner interdependence model. RESULTS: Actor and partner alcohol use increased the likelihood of conflict and likelihood of conflicts involving verbal perpetration and victimization within the next 4 hr; alcohol effects on physical aggression were weaker. Actor alcohol effects on IPA remained significant after the addition of several control variables; partner effects did not. The absence of Alcohol × Gender interaction effects suggests that alcohol effects on IPA do not depend on actor or partner gender or their combination. CONCLUSIONS: There are robust alcohol effects on the occurrence of verbal aggression perpetration and victimization episodes, with weak effects on physical aggression perpetration. Conflicts that include alcohol are not more likely to include aggression; rather, alcohol increases the likelihood of conflict occurring, with a proportion of those involving verbal aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Emotion dysregulation and hazardous drinking in relation to suicidal ideation among Spanish-speaking Latinx daily-smokers.

OBJECTIVE: Suicidal ideation has increased among Latinx individuals in the last decade. Smoking increases the likelihood of suicidal ideation but work on Latinx smokers is minimal. Hazardous drinking and emotion dysregulation could be factors related to suicidal ideation among Latinx smokers, as has been evident in non-Latinx White samples. The current study sought to examine the main and interactive effects of emotion dysregulation and hazardous drinking in relation to suicidal ideation among Latinx daily-smokers. METHODS: Participants were 371 Spanish-speaking daily-smokers (58.8% female; Mage = 33.3; SDage = 9.8) recruited from the United States through Qualtrics. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test an interactive model of emotion dysregulation and hazardous alcohol consumption in relation to suicidal ideation; we also tested the effect of emotion dysregulation on suicidal ideation as a function of hazardous drinking status. RESULTS: Results indicated that latent emotional dysregulation was associated with greater suicidal ideation (p < 0.001); however, hazardous drinking was not related to suicidal ideation (p = 0.186). The interactive term of emotional dysregulation and hazardous drinking was significantly related to suicidal ideation (p = 0.017). Specifically, greater emotion dysregulation was significantly related to suicidal ideation among Latinx smokers who engaged in hazardous drinking (p < 0.001) but not those who did not engage in hazardous drinking (p = 0.123). CONCLUSIONS: The current findings suggest that smoking combined with hazardous drinking may be related to increased suicidal ideation among Latinx smokers. Findings are discussed in relation to the potential role of intervention strategies that focus on emotion dysregulation and hazardous drinking among Latinx current daily smokers to mitigate suicidal risk among this established health disparities population.

Effects of couple drinking events on short-term relationship harmony and discord: An ecological momentary assessment study.

OBJECTIVE: Couples with concordant drinking patterns have higher relationship satisfaction and greater relationship stability over time. Emerging evidence suggests that episodes of drinking with one's intimate partner can have positive immediate consequences for relationship functioning, whereas drinking episodes without partner do not. The present ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study examined the impact of drinking with partner (DWP) and drinking without partner (DWOP) events on immediate and next-day self-reported relationship harmony and discord. METHOD: Heterosexual, cohabiting community couples with congruent drinking patterns, ages 21-35 (N = 191), made three random reports each day for 30 days. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the impact of DWP and DWOP events on momentary relationship functioning, controlling for quantity of alcohol consumed and for functioning at the previous report. RESULTS: As hypothesized, harmony increased immediately after DWP (but not after DWOP) compared with no drinking for men and women. There were no immediate effects of drinking on discord. There were also positive effects of DWP on next morning harmony, but these were specific to women's drinking reports. Women's DWP and DWOP predicted reduced next morning discord for men; however, men's and women's discord increased as women consumed more drinks the previous evening. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that concordant drinking couples may achieve immediate benefits for couple harmony from drinking together. Women's drinking seems to be more impactful than men's on next-day harmony and discord, with greater harmony following women's evening DWP but increased discord associated with heavier evening drinking by women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Does state self-control depletion predict relationship functioning and partner aggression? An ecological momentary assessment study of community couples.

Intimate relationship functioning depends upon the ability to accommodate one's partner and to inhibit retaliatory and aggressive impulses when disagreements arise. However, accommodation and inhibition may be difficult when self-control strength is weak or depleted by prior exertion of self-control. The present study considered whether state self-control depletion prospectively predicts male and female self-reports of anger with partner and arguing with partner. Consistent with the I3 Model (Finkel, 2014, Adv Exp Soc Psychol, 49, 1-104), we also considered whether the association between elevated anger and arguing (i.e., instigation) and partner aggression was stronger when state self-control (i.e., inhibition) was depleted or among people high in negative urgency. In this ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study, heavy drinking married and cohabiting heterosexual couples (N = 191) responded to three randomly signaled reports each day for 30 days. Depletion predicted anger and arguing with partners both cross-sectionally and prospectively for men and women. However, after controlling for prior levels of anger and arguing, these effects were diminished, and supplemental analyses revealed that anger and arguing with partner predicted subsequent depletion. Anger and arguing were strongly associated with concurrent reports of partner aggression perpetration and victimization (verbal and/or physical). However, neither state self-control depletion nor negative urgency moderated these effects. Overall, results suggest a modest impact of depletion on daily couple functioning as well as a potential cyclical effect of arguing on depletion.

Pain severity as a predictor of negative affect following a self-guided quit attempt: An ecological momentary assessment study.

BACKGROUND: Past work has documented bidirectional associations between pain and cigarette smoking behaviors such that those who smoke evidence greater pain, and those in pain tend to smoke more. However, such work has not focused on the role of pain in relation to negative affect, which plays an important role during cessation attempts. OBJECTIVE: The current study evaluated pain as a predictor of negative affect as well as level of interference associated with negative affect among individuals undergoing a self-guided quit attempt. METHODS: Study variables were assessed via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) during the 2 weeks following a self-guided quit attempt. Participants included 54 daily smokers (33.3% female; Mage = 34.7, SD = 13.9). RESULTS: There were statistically significant within-person associations of pain ratings with negative affect and interference due to negative affect, such that greater pain was associated with higher levels of each dependent variable. Additionally, there was a within-person effect of smoking status (i.e., smoking vs. abstinence, measured via EMA) on negative affect, but not ratings of interference; smoking was associated with greater negative affect. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the importance of bodily pain in relation to negative mood following a quit attempt. Clinically, the results suggest a greater focus on the experience of pain during quit attempts may be warranted.

Feasibility of Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Study Unaided Smoking Cessation in Couples.

Introduction: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a valuable method for studying smoking cessation, but feasibility has not been examined in committed couples. The current study examines the feasibility of conducting an EMA study of unaided smoking cessation in single-smoker couples. Methods: Participants were 62 single-smoker couples recruited to participate in a 21-day study of unaided smoking cessation. Quitters and Partners were given instructions to complete one morning report, three signaled reports, and one evening report per day, as well as lapse reports when necessary. They also completed a series of questionnaires at baseline and follow-up. This article examines predictors of compliance with the reporting instructions. Results: Compliance with scheduled reporting was reasonable (Quitters: 76%, Partners: 79%). Compliance with "on-time" lapse reporting (vs. make-up reporting) was poor (Quitters: 62%, Partners: 43%). Quitters' compliance with lapse reporting was strongly associated with an orientation toward quitting. Partners' compliance with lapse reporting was associated with relationship motivation. Quitter compliance plummeted when Partners were noncompliant. Self-regulation and emotional instability were not associated with compliance but were associated with time to complete reports. Quitters' and Partners' experiences completing the study provide some insight into the dynamics of completing an EMA study as part of a dyad. Conclusions: Overall, this study suggests it is feasible and effective to collect EMA data on smoking cessation from couples. However, compliance with lapse reporting was poor, especially for Partners. Researchers could provide remuneration on a different schedule, provide shorter lapse reports, or omit Partner lapse reports altogether. Implications: This article examined compliance with scheduled and lapse reporting in single-smoker couples during an unaided quit attempt. Compliance with scheduled reporting was acceptable, but compliance with lapse reporting was poor, especially for Partners. Quitters' compliance with lapse reporting was heavily influenced by an orientation toward quitting, suggesting that improved screening for motivation to quit might improve compliance rates. Quitter compliance also plummeted when Partners were noncompliant. Partner demographics and relationship motivation were the best predictors of compliance. To enhance compliance, researchers might provide remuneration on a different scale, dramatically shorten lapse reports, or even omit Partner lapse reports.

Comparison of internet and mailing methods to recruit couples into research on unaided smoking cessation.

In smoking cessation studies with restrictive criteria (e.g., single-smoker couples), thousands of potential participants might need to be screened to obtain a reasonable sample size. Consideration of recruitment methodology is critical because recruitment methods influence both the success and cost effectiveness of recruitment. Although traditional recruitment methods are often used to recruit participants into smoking cessation research, newer technologies, such as paid Facebook advertising, might offer more cost-effective alternatives for recruitment. The current analysis compares two versions of paid Facebook advertising and a specialized mass mailing method used to recruit single-smoker couples into an intensive three-week study of unaided smoking cessation. The three methods are compared in terms of demographic characteristics, eligibility, and cost-effectiveness. Although Facebook's "Promote Your Page" mechanism achieved the fastest recruitment rate (2.75 couples per month; 498 USD per couple), Facebook's "Send People to Your Website" mechanism was the least expensive and provided the most demographically diverse sample (1.64 couples per month; 181 USD per couple). The specialized mailing method was not productive or cost-effective (0.80 couples per month; 454 USD per couple). Paid Facebook advertising fared better as a recruitment method than a specialized mailing method often used in survey research. Studies that have less restrictive eligibility criteria, that draw from a larger local population, or that recruit for a less intense study might find paid Facebook advertising to be quite feasible.

Commitment insurance: compensating for the autonomy costs of interdependence in close relationships.

A model of the commitment-insurance system is proposed to examine how low and high self-esteem people cope with the costs interdependence imposes on autonomous goal pursuits. In this system, autonomy costs automatically activate compensatory cognitive processes that attach greater value to the partner. Greater partner valuing compels greater responsiveness to the partner's needs. Two experiments and a daily diary study of newlyweds supported the model. Autonomy costs automatically activate more positive implicit evaluations of the partner. On explicit measures of positive illusions, high self-esteem people continue to compensate for costs. However, cost-primed low self-esteem people correct and override their positive implicit sentiments when they have the opportunity to do so. Such corrections put the marriages of low self-esteem people at risk: Failing to compensate for costs predicted declines in satisfaction over a 1-year period.

Fostering partner dependence as trust insurance: the implicit contingencies of the exchange script in close relationships.

A model of the trust-insurance system is proposed to examine how people with low and high self-esteem cope with the interdependence dilemma posed by feeling inferior to a romantic partner. Feeling inferior automatically activates "if-then" contingencies that link inferiority to the exchange script (i.e., partner qualities are evenly traded) and exchange script anxieties to reparative efforts to secure a partner's dependence. A daily diary study of newlyweds and 5 experiments supported the model. Induced upward social comparisons to the partner activated exchange anxieties for low, but not high, self-esteem people. When implicitly primed, the exchange script heightened worries about being inferior and motivated behavioral efforts to increase the partner's dependence regardless of self-esteem. When consciously deliberated, the exchange script elicited dependence promotion only for low self-esteem people.