Search

Residential treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) is effective at reducing substance use, dependence, and other related problems. However, dropout from treatment against medical advice (AMA) is common in residential treatment settings. Studies have shown that impulsivity is associated with substance misuse and treatment dropout in predominately male samples, but less is known regarding whether impulsivity dimensions predict treatment dropout among women. This study examined impulsivity dimensions (ie, negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation, and sensation seeking) as predictors of dropout AMA among women in a residential substance use treatment facility (N = 229). Logistic regression results demonstrated that elevations in lack of perseverance and sensation seeking were associated with an increased odds of treatment dropout AMA and that lack of premeditation was associated with a decreased odds of treatment dropout AMA. Study findings suggest that early evidence-based interventions for sensation seeking and lack of perseverance may improve retention of women in residential treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority (LGBQ+) young adults report similar or higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration than their heterosexual peers. Elevated IPV risk among LGBQ+ young adults may be attributable to experiencing heterosexist discrimination and internalized homophobia. In addition, LGBQ+ people report disproportionate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, alcohol use, and IPV perpetration in dating relationships. Thus, this study explored which combinations of IPV risk factors (i.e., experiencing heterosexist discrimination, internalized homophobia, PTSD symptoms, alcohol use) related to forms of IPV perpetration, inclusive of psychological, physical, and sexual forms, in a sample of 342 LGBQ+ young adults. Internalized homophobia was related to psychological IPV perpetration at high and medium levels of PTSD symptoms and only high levels of alcohol use. PTSD symptoms and alcohol use interacted to predict psychological IPV perpetration; and PTSD symptoms related to increased psychological IPV perpetration at high and medium, but not low, alcohol use levels. Alcohol use was positively related to physical IPV perpetration. No other risk factors or interactions were significantly related to physical or sexual IPV perpetration. Results were consistent with prior findings that linked internalized homophobia, alcohol use, and PTSD symptoms to IPV perpetration and highlight the interacting nature of these IPV perpetration risk factors. Comprehensive IPV interventions with LGBQ+ young adults should evaluate the impact of simultaneously targeting these multiple IPV risk factors considering their interacting contributions to IPV perpetration risk. More research is needed to examine the temporal relations between minority stress, PTSD symptoms, alcohol use, and IPV perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol use correlates with psychological partner abuse (PA) perpetration among lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and other nonheterosexual (LGBQ+) young adults. However, less is known about the proximal association between alcohol use and psychological PA within this population, which would provide valuable information for intervention development. Informed by minority stress and alcohol-related PA theories, we evaluated whether (a) psychological PA perpetration odds increased as the number of drinks consumed prior to psychological PA on a given day increased, (b) psychological PA perpetration odds were greater following heavy episodic drinking (HED) relative to non-HED, and (c) experiencing LGBQ+-specific discrimination (i.e., heterosexist harassment, incivility, and hostility) strengthened the association between daily alcohol use (number of drinks, HED) and subsequent psychological PA perpetration. LGBQ+ college students (N = 41; 75.6% women, 22.0% men, and 2.4% transgender/non-binary) completed a baseline survey of past-year discrimination before completing daily reports of their alcohol use and psychological PA for 60 consecutive days. Multilevel modeling revealed that drinking more than one usually does on a given day is positively associated with subsequent psychological PA odds (OR = 1.31, p <.001). Psychological PA was more likely following HED relative to non-HED (OR = 3.23, p <.001). Unexpectedly, experiencing discrimination was negatively associated with psychological PA odds across models (OR =.26 p =.01). No alcohol × discrimination interactions emerged. Results support alcohol use as a proximal risk factor for psychological PA among LGBQ+ college students and underscore the need for more nuanced examination of discrimination and other contextual variables in alcohol-related PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive coercion is any behavior that attempts to control the autonomous reproductive decision-making of an intimate partner. Very little research has focused on males who perpetrate reproductive coercion. Using a diverse community sample of young adults, we examined the prevalence of lifetime reproductive coercion perpetration and its relationship with other forms of intimate partner violence (IPV). Results demonstrated that approximately 6.4% of the men reported perpetrating reproductive coercion in their lifetime. Chi-square analyses demonstrated that men who reported sexual (16.2%), physical (11.1%), or psychological (59.1%) IPV perpetration, relative to men who did not, reported a significantly higher prevalence of reproductive coercion perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the growing body of research seeking to examine adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intimate partner violence (IPV) among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, Institutional Review Boards must consider whether participating in violence research is emotionally distressing for SGM people. Yet, little research has studied SGM participants' reactions to participating in research on ACEs, IPV, and minority stress. Thus, the current study examined reactions, including negative emotional reactions, to participating in violence research among SGM young adults. In total, 230 participants who self-identified as a sexual minority (30.1% also identified as a gender minority) in a dating relationship completed a cross-sectional assessment on ACEs, IPV (including identity abuse victimization and perpetration), minority stress (i.e., internalized homo/bi/transphobia), and reactions to research participation. Results indicated that participants identifying as a gender minority had significantly higher negative emotional reactions to study participation compared to cisgender participants, but this increase among gender minority individuals was small. In addition, gender minority participants and those with higher minority stress (i.e., internalized trans/bi/homo-negativity) and ACEs reported significantly higher negative emotional reactions to participation. Furthermore, gender minority participants scored worse on a scale indicating appreciation for contributing to research. Finally, reporting IPV victimization and perpetration was not associated with negative emotional reactions. Findings suggest that questions assessing minority stress and negative childhood experiences may be more emotionally salient or stressful for gender minority participants compared to questions measuring IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of experiencing sexual assault is alarmingly high among Transgender and Gender Diverse people (TGD; people whose gender identities and/or expressions are not traditionally associated with their sex assigned at birth) and is associated with various mental health sequalae. Perceived social support has been shown to abate the negative outcomes of sexual assault among cisgender individuals, yet little is known about this association among TGD people, especially which provider of support (i.e., family, friends, or significant others) may be most beneficial. To that end, 191 TGD adults were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk to examine perceived social support as a potential moderator of the association between sexual assault victimization and post-sexual assault trauma symptomology. Results showed an interaction trending toward significance between sexual assault and support from a significant other. Decomposition of this interaction demonstrated that sexual assault was associated with post-assault trauma symptoms when support from a significant other was low (ß =.25, p <.05) but not high (ß =.10, p =.089). The interaction between sexual assault and perceived social support was not significant for perceived support from friends (p =.133) or family (p =.954). Findings highlight the need for additional research on perceived social support as a potential buffering mechanism between sexual assault and post-assault symptomology in TGD people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive coercion is an understudied form of intimate partner violence (IPV) that occurs when a person attempts to control the autonomous reproductive decision making of their intimate partner. Previous research has demonstrated that individuals who experience reproductive coercion are more likely to experience other forms of IPV (e.g., physical and sexual). Research has also shown that Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic individuals are at an increased risk of experiencing reproductive coercion compared to their White/Non-Hispanic peers. However, most of the research on reproductive coercion has been conducted in family-planning clinics where IPV is reported at a higher rate than in community samples. Thus, using a diverse community sample of female-identifying young adults (N = 370) who were recruited as part of an ongoing longitudinal study on dating violence, we examined the prevalence of lifetime reproductive coercion and its relationship with other forms of IPV, as well as the differences in prevalence among racial and ethnic groups. Lifetime prevalence of being victimized by any form of reproductive coercion was 11.4%. Results indicated that individuals who experienced reproductive coercion were more likely to experience physical and sexual IPV relative to those who did not experience reproductive coercion. With respect to race/ethnicity, 5.6% of White participants, 10.5% of Black/African American participants, and 14.8% of Hispanic/Latinx participants reported experiencing reproductive coercion. Chi-square analyses showed Hispanic/Latinx participants had a significantly higher prevalence of reproductive coercion when compared to White/Non-Hispanic participants. These findings suggest a need for additional research on culturally-specific risk and protective factors related to reproductive coercion among Hispanic/Latinx individuals to identify potential intervention and prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite alarming rates of sexual assault on college campuses, little research has examined risk factors for sexual victimization among LGBTQ+ college students. This exploratory study aims to examine adolescent sexual assault, internalized homonegativity, and problematic alcohol use as mediators linking several types of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; i.e., childhood sexual abuse, parental abuse, and household disorder) to collegiate sexual assault. Utilizing data from 241 LGBTQ+ college students, path analysis findings demonstrated that these proposed mediators increased risk for sexual assault and that various types of ACEs exerted differential impacts on sexual re-victimization, internalized homonegativity, and problematic alcohol use. Practice-based implications are offered, including the need for affirming programming that includes problem drinking prevention components and considers the role of ACEs and internalized homonegativity in increasing risk for sexual assault during college as well as the need for LGBTQ+ resource centers on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the past several decades, dating violence has emerged as a major health problem, with rates of physical violence ranging from 20% to 30% and psychological aggression ranging from 60% to 90% in college dating relationships. Despite this, there have been few successful dating violence prevention programs developed. Thus, it is imperative that research can identify the relationship between potential protective factors, such as trait mindfulness, and dating violence perpetration. This study builds upon previous research on mindfulness and dating violence by investigating this question within a sample of female undergraduate students at two universities (N = 381) over the course of one semester. Findings suggested that the nonjudging aspect of mindfulness was associated with less perpetration of psychological and physical aggression approximately 3 months later. Furthermore, several facets of mindfulness were able to differentiate individuals who perpetrated aggression at Time 2 relative to individuals without a history of perpetration. These findings build on previous work in the field and suggest that mindfulness may play an important role in the manifestation of dating violence. Directions for future research on the relation between mindfulness and dating violence are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the prevalence of technology, cyber dating abuse (DA) emerged as an important area of empirical inquiry. Cross-sectional data linked cyber DA perpetration to alcohol problems and psychological and physical DA perpetration. However, the longitudinal relations among these constructs are unknown. DA theory and research suggested that higher levels of aggressogenic traits (e.g., emotion dysregulation) increased the likelihood that alcohol problems and DA co-occur; this conceptual model may extend to cyber DA. We collected self-report data from 578 college students at baseline (T1) and 3 months later (T2) to test the hypothesis that T1 alcohol problems would predict T2 psychological, physical, and cyber DA for students with high, but not low, emotion dysregulation. We also hypothesized that T1 cyber DA would predict T2 psychological and physical DA. We conducted path analyses in Mplus and used the Johnson-Neyman technique to probe significant interactions. Results indicated that alcohol problems predicted psychological and physical DA for college students with high and average emotion dysregulation only. Alcohol problems did not predict cyber DA independently or in conjunction with emotion dysregulation. Cyber DA predicted psychological and physical DA. Results extend DA conceptualizations and highlight the importance of targeting emotion dysregulation in college DA intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication skill deficits are thought to contribute to teen dating violence (TDV), parallel to the inclusion of these throughout prevention curricula. Communication research among adolescents is highly underdeveloped, although a preliminary study utilizing Gottman's marital communication conceptualization found that a majority of negative communication behaviors predictive of marital distress were also associated with relationship aggression among primarily White college students. Our aim was to replicate this study with diverse samples of adolescents (50.3% Latino, 23.5% Black; M age = 16.06). Urban high school youth, pregnant and parenting youth in residential foster care, and youth in urban after-school programs self-reported on their use of maladaptive and adaptive communication behaviors, relationship quality (i.e., satisfaction, commitment), and emotional, physical, sexual, relational, and threatening dating violence. Across samples, maladaptive communication and particularly flooding (i.e., the tendency to become overwhelmed, leave the argument) and the four horsemen (i.e., a cascading and negative communication sequence) were associated with higher likelihood of multiple types of TDV. Relationship quality was associated with decreased likelihood for TDV among high school and after-school youth samples, but with increased likelihood among youth in foster care. Results indicate that youth utilize a wide range of both adaptive and maladaptive communication behaviors, and that similar maladaptive patterns predictive of relationship distress in young adulthood and in marriage are also associated with distress in adolescents' dating relationships. Equipping youth with adaptive communication skills as part of a comprehensive approach to reducing TDV and enhancing healthy relationships is meaningful for diverse adolescents. Further research is warranted concerning youth's perceptions of relationship quality and risk of TDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decades witnessed a surge in pornography use, contributing to what some researchers referred to as problematic pornography use (PPU; excessive, compulsive, and uncontrollable pornography use). Informed by cognitive scripts theory, cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental research spanning several decades documented a positive association between men's pornography use and physical and sexual violence perpetration. However, there is a paucity of research investigating pornography use broadly, and PPU specifically, among men who perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV). The present cross-sectional study investigated the association between self-reported PPU and physical and sexual IPV perpetration among 273 men in batterer intervention programs. After accounting for psychiatric symptomology and substance use and problems, results revealed a positive association between PPU and both physical and sexual IPV perpetration. Findings highlighted the need for continued investigation of the function of pornography use for violent men, particularly as it relates to physical and sexual IPV perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the risk of substance use (SU) among adolescents in the child welfare system, identification of risk for prospective impairing SU behaviors is a significant public health priority. We sought to quantify the incremental validity of routine multi-informant assessments of adolescent psychological distress (i.e., the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report) and a commonly used SU screening protocol (i.e., the CRAFFT) to predict SU at 18 and 36 months after baseline in a nationally representative child welfare sample (N = 1,054; M age = 13.72). We used receiver operator characteristics and reclassification analyses to develop our algorithms. We found that a battery consisting of baseline CRAFFT scores, self-reported delinquent behavior, and parent-reported rule-breaking behavior provided an incrementally valid prediction model for SU behavior among females, while baseline CRAFFT scores and self-reported delinquent behavior incrementally predicted SU for males. Results suggest that leveraging existing assessments within the child welfare system can improve forecasting of SU risk for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large literature documents that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among adults. However, research on this relationship among adolescents and young adults has been plagued by methodological flaws (e.g., cross-sectional designs). Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the longitudinal and bidirectional associations between PTSD symptoms and psychological and physical IPV perpetration from adolesence to young adulthood. A sample of racially and ethnically diverse high school students (N = 1,042; 56% female) were assessed annually for 6 years (from 2010 to 2015 in Southeastern Texas). At each assessment, participants completed measures of PTSD symptoms and psychological and physical IPV perpetration. The mean age of the sample at the first assessment was 15.09 (SD =.79). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that PTSD symptoms at Years 2, 3, and 4 predicted increases in psychological IPV perpetration in the subsequent year. In turn, psychological IPV perpetration at Years 1 and 4 predicted increases in PTSD symptoms in the subsequent years. In addition, psychological IPV perpetration mediated the association between PTSD symptoms and physical IPV perpetration over time. Results were consistent across gender and race/ethnicity. Findings provide initial evidence that PTSD symptoms are associated with IPV perpetration across time from adolescence to young adulthood. Prevention and intervention programs for adolescent and young adult IPV perpetration may benefit from screening for, and potentially treating, PTSD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the proliferation of data examining intimate partner violence (IPV), there has been an emerging interest in how this research emotionally affects participants, particularly those with a history of personal experience with IPV. While a large body of IPV research suggests that only a small proportion of individuals experience transient emotional distress as the result of participation, this research is limited by examining only the emotional responses at the conclusion of the research, rather than examining changes in affect during the research. Therefore, this research sought to examine negative affect among participants throughout the research to better examine the trajectory of affect during participation in research on IPV. We recruited a sample of 914 college students who completed a measure of negative affect at the beginning, after being exposed to violence questionnaires, and at the conclusion of the research. The findings suggested that among the total sample, negative affect generally declined over the course of the research, although there was a significant interaction for victims of both psychological and physical IPV, such that their negative affect remained stable over participation in the research. Negative affect was significantly correlated with measures of reactions to the research globally, and not significantly related to perceptions of the overall benefits of the research. These data suggest that participation in research on IPV does not increase negative affect, even among those with a history of IPV. Implications of these data for future research on IPV are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol misuse is often a chronic problem such that relapses following treatment are common. One potential protective factor for alcohol misuse is self-compassion, which includes self-kindness, feelings of common humanity, and mindfulness when faced with personal suffering and hardships. This study tested the hypothesis that self-compassion, and specifically self-compassion promoting facets including self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, were longitudinally associated with reduced alcohol use among a sample of men and women in substance use disorder treatment (N = 62). Results partially supported the hypothesis, in that only the mindfulness facet of self-compassion was associated with decreased alcohol use over time. Sex and age differences as they related to the positive facets of self-compassion and alcohol use emerged. These findings suggest that positive facets of self-compassion may be beneficial factors to cultivate in alcohol treatment programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scant research examined mechanisms underlying the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and dating violence (DV) perpetration. Using a cross-sectional design with 203 college women, we examined whether distress tolerance mediated the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and DV perpetration (i.e., psychological aggression and physical assault). Path analyses results revealed indirect effects of mindfulness facets nonjudging of inner experiences and nonreactivity to inner experiences on both psychological aggression and physical assault through distress tolerance. Mindfulness facets observing, describing, and acting with awareness were not linked to DV perpetration through distress tolerance. Results suggest that women who allow internal experiences to come and go without assigning criticism or avoidance are better able to tolerate transient distress and less likely to abuse a dating partner. Future research may examine distress tolerance and dispositional mindfulness facets as potential intervention targets for women who abuse dating partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, most dating violence research has focused on physical aggression and has left stalking behaviors largely unexamined, despite evidence that stalking of an intimate partner occurs with high frequency. Moreover, the extent to which stalking victimization has the same negative mental health consequences as other forms of dating violence is unclear. Thus, using a sample of male and female undergraduate students in current dating relationships (N = 357), the association between stalking victimization and alcohol and drug use was explored. Results indicated that for both men and women, stalking victimization from a dating partner was related to alcohol and drug use, even after controlling for age, gender, length of dating relationship, and physical aggression victimization. These preliminary findings suggest that stalking victimization is associated with deleterious consequences; thus, additional research is needed to better understand the longitudinal, long-term consequences of stalking victimization. Additional implications and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by alcohol myopia theory and Leonard’s heuristic model of intimate partner violence (IPV), we hypothesized that alcohol problems would positively relate to IPV among men with high, but not low, trait jealousy. We collected cross-sectional, self-report data from 74 men arrested for domestic violence and court-ordered to batterer intervention programs (BIP). Alcohol problems positively related to physical and sexual IPV among men with high, but not low, trait jealousy. Results provide preliminary support for the need for BIP to target both jealousy-related cognitions and alcohol problems. Future research should investigate jealousy in relation to alcohol-related IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study sought to examine whether drinking motives (i.e., coping, social, conformity, and enhancement) moderated the relationship between physical, sexual, and psychological dating violence victimization and alcohol-related problems in a sample of drinking college women (N = 177). Results demonstrated that coping and social drinking motives moderated the relationship between sexual victimization and alcohol problems; conformity, social, and enhancement drinking motives moderated the relationship between alcohol-related problems and physical victimization; no significant findings were evident for psychological aggression victimization. Our results partially support the self-medication model of alcohol use, and this may be particularly relevant to sexual victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindfulness gained increased attention as it relates to aggressive behavior, including dating violence. However, no known studies examined how the combined influences of dispositional mindfulness and perceived partner infidelity, a well-documented correlate of dating violence, relate to women’s dating violence perpetration. Using a sample of college women (N = 203), we examined the relationship between perceived partner infidelity and physical dating violence perpetration at varying levels of dispositional mindfulness, controlling for the influence of alcohol use. Results indicated perceived partner infidelity and dating violence perpetration were positively related for women with low and mean dispositional mindfulness, but not for women with high dispositional mindfulness. These results further support the applicability of mindfulness theory in the context of dating violence. Implications of the present findings provide preliminary support for mindfulness intervention in relationships characterized by infidelity concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been increased attention in recent years related to the research reactions of individuals who participate in intimate partner violence (IPV) research. Existing studies demonstrate that participating in IPV research is not emotionally upsetting for the vast majority of participants and that many participants perceive benefit from their research participation. However, almost all of the existing research has utilized non-clinical samples or battered women, failing to examine the research reactions of a clinical sample of men. Thus, the present study examined the research reactions of men in substance use treatment (N = 138) who completed a self-report measure of IPV perpetration and victimization. We also examined whether distress tolerance moderated the relationship between reports of IPV and negative emotional research reactions. Consistent with previous research, after accounting for distress tolerance, substance use, and demographic control variables, IPV was unrelated to negative emotional research reactions. Distress tolerance did not moderate the association between IPV and research reactions. Findings add to a growing body of literature suggesting that IPV research meets Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements for minimal risk research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research has shown links between family-of-origin violence (FOV), intimate partner violence (IPV), and hostility, research has not examined whether hostility mediates the relationship between FOV and IPV. The current study examined whether hostility mediates FOV and IPV perpetration in 302 men arrested for domestic violence. Results demonstrated that hostility fully mediated the relationship between father-to-participant FOV and physical and psychological IPV, and the relationship between mother-to-participant FOV and physical IPV. Results indicated that hostility fully mediated the relationship between experiencing and witnessing FOV and physical IPV (composite FOV), and partially mediated the relationship between composite FOV and psychological aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional work is needed to determine how and/or why the relationship between alcohol use and increased risk of partner aggression (PA) exists. Researchers have begun to examine whether alcohol-related outcome expectancies (i.e., beliefs about the cognitive and behavioral effects of alcohol) are associated with PA irrespective of alcohol use. We examined the relationship between alcohol use, alcohol expectancies, and PA among 360 males arrested for a domestic violence offense and court-mandated to treatment. Results indicate that certain alcohol expectancies do play a role in the relationship between alcohol use and some forms of PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated that individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) and comorbid mental health problems evidence heightened negative consequences, including poorer treatment outcomes, a higher risk for relapse, and mortality compared to individuals with a single disorder. In this study, we focus on the comorbidity between SUDs and eating disorder (ED) symptomatology, as EDs are similarly associated with high rates of relapse, morbidity, and mortality. Of particular importance is research examining treatment rejection among individuals in treatment for SUDs with cooccurring ED symptomatology. This study seeks to add to the literature by examining treatment rejection among young adult men in residential treatment for SUDs (N = 68) with cooccurring ED symptomatology. Results from hierarchical regression analyses indicated that ED symptoms were significantly associated with treatment rejection after controlling for alcohol and drug use and problems and depression symptoms. Although this is a preliminary study, the results add to a growing body of research examining the comorbidity between SUDs and ED symptomatology. Future research examining this relationship is needed to further elucidate the treatment patterns among individuals with comorbid ED symptoms and substance use diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dating violence is a prevalent problem. Research demonstrates that males and females are victimized at comparable rates in their dating relationships and experience a number of mental health and relationship problems. Less research has examined male dating violence victimization, its association to mental health and relationship satisfaction, and whether coping styles influence mental health symptoms and relationship satisfaction among victims. The current study examined physical and psychological aggression victimization, adjustment (posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and relationship satisfaction), and problem-focused and emotion-focused coping among heterosexual college males in a current dating relationship (n = 184). Results identified that psychological victimization was associated with posttraumatic stress and relationship discord above and beyond physical victimization. Interaction findings identified that psychological victimization was associated with increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms at high levels of problem-focused coping, whereas psychological victimization was associated with less relationship satisfaction at low levels of emotion-focused coping. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is one of the most common anxiety disorders and has been shown to be effectively treated using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Recently, a manualized CBT treatment for SAD has been developed, with research demonstrating superior treatment outcomes with CBT relative to alternatives (e.g., psychotropic medication). The current case study of Henry, a 26-year-old Caucasian male with SAD, implemented this manualized CBT for SAD. Treatment consisted of 15 individual sessions, with follow-ups occurring 2 and 8 months post treatment. Henry showed marked reductions in SAD symptoms throughout the course of treatment, resulting in complete remission of SAD at the end of formal treatment. His SAD continued to be in remission at the 2-month and 8-month follow-up sessions. This case study demonstrates the usefulness of a manualized, individual CBT treatment for SAD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social support is typically thought to protect people from bad events, whereas capitalization support augments people’s reactions to good events. Because social support and capitalization support apply to different classes of events, most theory predicts that measures of perceived support and capitalization support should be empirically distinct. We tested a new theory that hypothesizes that the main effects between perceived support and mental health do not reflect stress and coping primarily, but instead reflect ordinary, yet affectively consequential conversations and shared activities, some of which include positive events. According to this view, perceived support and capitalization support should be substantially correlated, should have similar links to other constructs, and their links to favorable affect should overlap, yet not be completely redundant. In three samples, results were consistent with the new theory, when correlations reflected social influences. When correlations reflected trait influences, perceived and capitalization support showed greater overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study experimentally examines the speaker-listener technique on marital satisfaction and communication behaviors when couples (N = 30) were instructed to either discuss an issue within or outside the marriage on marital satisfaction and communication behaviors. This study was based the Gottman et al. Hypothesis that the speaker-listener technique would lead to improved marital satisfaction when the couple is discussing a third-party issue, but discussing an issue about each other would weaken the marital relationship. A series of analyses of covariance were conducted on these data, and no differences were found between the two groups on their self-reported marital satisfaction or communication skills behaviors, which were not support the Gottman et al. Hypothesis. Possible interpretations of these data and areas for further investigation are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opioid misuse has become one of the most pressing public health problems facing the country. In this article, we briefly review literature regarding the opioid epidemic in the United States and the negative consequences of opioid use disorder. We provide information regarding treatment and relapse using a variety of intervention approaches. We call for research on people with opioid use disorder that can contribute to a variety of areas: improving medication-assisted treatment, addressing chronic pain, examination of adjunctive behavioral interventions, overdose, high risk behaviors and infections, pregnancy, diverse populations, and other psychological factors. Collectively addressing these crucial areas of research will advance the field and help alleviate suffering and prevent death from opioid use disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. A posited mechanism explaining the link between ACEs and IPV is alcohol use consequences. Yet, few studies have examined this relationship among sexual minority young adults or how chronic and unique discrimination due to their marginalized identity (i.e., minority stress) may influence these associations. This study examined whether alcohol use consequences mediated the relationship between ACEs and IPV perpetration, and whether minority stress moderated this mediated relationship. Sexual minority young adults who used alcohol in the past month (N = 344; age 18–25) in a dating relationship completed a survey on ACEs, IPV, alcohol and minority stress. We hypothesized: (a) alcohol use consequences would mediate the association between ACEs and IPV perpetration and (b) higher discrimination would moderate the mediation of alcohol use consequences in the relationship between ACEs and IPV perpetration. ACEs (B = 0.74, p = .010) and alcohol use consequences (B = 0.64, p = .007), were significantly associated with psychological, but not physical, IPV perpetration. Alcohol use consequences did not mediate the association between ACEs and any IPV type. In addition, everyday discrimination was not a significant moderator. ACEs and alcohol use consequences contribute to the risk for IPV perpetration among sexual minority young adults. Future research is needed to determine how alcohol use consequences may impact risk for IPV perpetration among those who have experienced ACEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]