Emotion regulation and intimate partner violence perpetration: A meta-analysis.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern that affects millions of individuals each year. As such, research informing its prediction and prevention is paramount. Etiological models of IPV perpetration and empirical findings suggest that emotion regulation (ER) is associated with IPV perpetration. Further, research has suggested that depending on ER conceptualization, ER may predict either increased (e.g., risk factor) or decreased IPV perpetration (e.g., protective factor). Despite its documented association with IPV perpetration, and amenability to intervention, ER's aggregate association with IPV perpetration has not been evaluated. The present systematic review and meta-analysis analyzes ER's association with IPV perpetration. Two hundred and sixty-five effect sizes from 62 unique samples were included for analysis. Results suggested a small to moderate association between ER and IPV perpetration, the magnitude of which varied by ER construct, whether ER predicted increased or decreased IPV perpetration, and the type of IPV perpetration measured. The magnitude of association between ER and IPV perpetration did not vary by sample type or gender. Implications of these findings were reviewed in the context of meta-theoretical and clinically-focused models of IPV perpetration and suggestions for future research were explored.

Cognitive and Affective Mediators of Alcohol-Facilitated Intimate Partner Aggression.

This multisite study examined whether aggressive cognitions and facial displays of negative affect and anger experienced during provocation mediated the association between alcohol intoxication and intimate partner aggression (IPA). Participants were 249 heavy drinkers (148 men, 101 women) with a recent history of IPA perpetration. Participants were randomly assigned to an Alcohol or No-Alcohol Control beverage condition and completed a shock-based aggression task involving apparent provocation by their intimate partner. During provocation, a hidden camera recorded participants' facial expressions and verbal articulations, which were later coded using the Facial Action Coding System and the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations paradigm. Results indicated that the positive association between alcohol intoxication and partner-directed physical aggression was mediated by participants' aggressive cognitions, but not by negative affect or anger facial expressions. These findings implicate aggressogenic cognitions as a mediating mechanism underlying the association between the acute effects of alcohol and IPA perpetration.

Alcohol, conflict, and aggression in intimate relationships: A dyadic approach.

Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a critical public health problem that requires clear and testable etiological models that may translate into effective interventions. While alcohol intoxication and a pattern of heavy alcohol consumption are robust correlates of IPA perpetration, there has been limited research that examines this association from a dyadic perspective. In the present review, we discuss compelling reasons for understanding dyadic factors that assist our understanding of alcohol-facilitated IPA, review the relatively small number of studies that have investigated such factors, and provide a theoretical and methodological framework for researchers to conceptualize how to model alcohol-facilitated IPA from a dyadic framework.

Sugar or spice: Using I3 metatheory to understand how and why glucose reduces rejection-related aggression.

Social rejection can increase aggression, especially among people high in rejection sensitivity. Rejection impairs self-control, and deficits in self-control often result in aggression. A dose of glucose can counteract the effect of situational factors that undermine self-control. But no research has integrated these literatures to understand why rejection increases aggression, and how to reduce it. Using the I(3) model of aggression, we proposed that aggression would be highest under conditions of high instigation (rejection), high impellance (high rejection sensitivity), and low inhibition (drinking a beverage sweetened with a sugar substitute instead of glucose). As predicted, aggression was highest among participants who experienced social rejection, were high in rejection sensitivity, and drank a placebo beverage. A dose of glucose reduced aggression, especially among rejected people high in rejection sensitivity. These findings point to the importance of self-control in understanding why social rejection increases aggression, and how to prevent it.