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Objective: This study aimed to test empirically whether (a) the local impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was associated with increases in intimate partner aggression (IPA) and heavy drinking and (b) heavy drinking moderated the association between COVID-19 stress and IPA perpetration. Method: Participants were 510 individuals (approximately 50% who endorsed a sexual or gender minority identity) recruited via Qualtrics Research Services in April 2020, during the height of shelter-in-place (SiP) restrictions across the United States. They completed a questionnaire battery that included measures of COVID-19 stressors, physical and psychological IPA perpetration, and heavy drinking. Results: Rates of physical and psychological IPA perpetration significantly increased after implementation of SiP restrictions which aimed to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. COVID-19 stress was significantly and positively associated with physical and psychological IPA perpetration;however, COVID-19 stress was positively associated with physical IPA perpetration among nonheavy drinking, but not heavy drinking, participants. Conclusions: Drawn from a large sample of participants of diverse sexual identities, findings tentatively implicate COVID-19 stress as a critical correlate of IPA perpetration and suggest that "low-risk" individuals (i.e., nonheavy drinkers) should not be overlooked. These data provide preliminary support for the usefulness of public health polices and individual-level interventions that target stress, heavy drinking, and their antecedents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Background Although research has established an association between alcohol use and sexual assault, few studies have examined how characteristics of the perpetrator may influence sexual aggression depending upon whether alcohol is consumed by the perpetrator and/or the victim. As such, this laboratory-based investigation was designed to disentangle the effects of individual differences in masculine gender role stress and sexual aggression perpetration as a function of (1) men's acute alcohol intoxication and (2) whether a woman was consuming alcohol or not. Method A community sample of 156 men presented to two laboratory sessions, during which they completed a self-report measure of masculine gender role stress (Session 1) and completed a modified version of the sexual imposition paradigm after consuming an alcoholic or non-alcohol beverage (Session 2). In this paradigm, participants and a male friend were told that an ostensible female participant had consumed or not consumed alcohol. They were also told that she did not wish to view sexual content. Participants were then provided the opportunity to make the female confederate view a sexually or non-sexually explicit film. Sexual aggression was operationalized by selection of the sexually explicit film. Results A hierarchical logistic regression showed that men higher in masculine gender role stress who were (1) intoxicated were more likely than sober men to select the sexually explicit film when the woman was intoxicated, and (2) intoxicated, men were less likely than sober men to select the sexually explicit film when the woman was sober. Conclusions Findings suggest that sexual aggression perpetration is most likely among higher masculine gender role stress men when there is concordance in drinking (i.e., either the man and woman were both drinking or were both not drinking).

Recent high-profile incidents involving the deadly application of force in the United States sparked worldwide protests and renewed scrutiny of police practices as well as scrutiny of relations between police officers and minoritized communities. In this report, we consider the inappropriate use of force by police from the perspective of behavioral and social science inquiry related to aggression, violence, and intergroup relations. We examine the inappropriate use of force by police in the context of research on modern policing as well as critical race theory and offer five recommendations suggested by contemporary theory and research. Our recommendations are aimed at policymakers, law enforcement administrators, and scholars and are as follows: (1) Implement public policies that can reduce inappropriate use of force directly and through the reduction of broader burdens on the routine activities of police officers. (2) For officers frequently engaged in use-of-force incidents, ensure that best practice, evidence-based treatments are available and required. (3) Improve and increase the quality and delivery of noncoercive conflict resolution training for all officers, along with police administrative policies and supervision that support alternatives to the use of force, both while scaling back the militarization of police departments. (4) Continue the development and evaluation of multicomponent interventions for police departments, but ensure they incorporate evidence-based, field-tested components. (5) Expand research in the behavioral and social sciences aimed at understanding and managing use-of-force by police and reducing its disproportionate impact on minoritized communities, and expand funding for these lines of inquiry.

In this multisite study, we 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.

The I(3) Model is a meta-theoretical framework that posits intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration is the product of three interactive factors: instigators, impellors, and inhibitors. The present study examined the effects of trait anger (an impellor), psychological flexibility (a disimpellor), and alcohol intoxication (a disinhibitor) on IPV perpetration. Participants were 249 heavy drinkers (41% female) who had perpetrated IPV toward their current partner in the past year. Participants completed self-report measures of trait anger and psychological flexibility, were randomly assigned to consume an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, and then engaged in the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (Taylor, 1967) ostensibly against their current partner. Analyses detected a small-to-medium effect for two separate two-way interactions. First, a significant Beverage x Psychological Flexibility interaction was detected. Consistent with the I(3) Model, explication analyses revealed that alcohol intoxication predicted higher levels of IPV perpetration in those who reported low, but not high, psychological flexibility (i.e., low disimpellance). Second, although the Beverage x Trait Anger interaction was non-significant, explication analyses revealed that alcohol intoxication predicted higher levels of IPV perpetration among those who reported low, but not high, trait anger (i.e., low impellance). These results have several potential treatment implications among alcohol-consuming clients.

Prior research indicates that adherence to the male role norm suggesting men should seek to attain social status (i.e., status) is positively related to prosocial bystander attitudes and behavior; however, moderators of this effect have yet to be examined. One construct that may influence this effect is benevolent sexism. The present study sought to fill this gap in the literature. Participants were 148 men 21–30 years of age from the metro Atlanta area who reported that they had engaged in heavy drinking at least three times in the past year. A moderation model was used to examine the independent and interactive effects of adherence to the status norm and benevolent sexism on bystander behavior within party settings for friends and strangers. The model predicting bystander behavior towards friends showed a significant interaction between status and benevolent sexism (b = .59, p = .021). The association between adherence to the status norm and bystander behavior was significant and positive among men who reported high benevolent sexism (β = .96, p = .003), but not low benevolent sexism (β=.15, p=.619). No such effects were detected for bystander behavior for strangers. Findings suggest that males who hold traditional male ideologies around chivalry may be more likely to engage in prosocial bystander behavior towards women in party situations, perhaps as a way of demonstrating their high status. These findings have implications for future programming for men.

The purposes of this study were to determine whether youth who have experienced sexual victimization (SV) have lower self-efficacy to refuse sex and to identify intervention strategies for rape survivors to mitigate further health-risks and harm. Cross-sectional data from the 2014 Kampala Youth Survey (n = 1134) of youth aged 12 to 18 years recruited from Uganda Youth Development Link drop-in centers were used to conduct the analyses. Multivariable statistics were computed to determine the correlates (i.e., sex, education, homelessness, problem drinking, and SV) for (1) self-efficacy to refuse sex, (2) self-efficacy to refuse sex while drinking, and (3) regretting sex due to alcohol use. Among participants, 16.9% reported SV (79% were female and 21% were male). In the final adjusted model, self-efficacy to refuse sex while drinking was only associated with homelessness (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.74). Previous SV was not associated with lower self-reports of self-efficacy to refuse sex compared to those who had not experienced SV. Additionally, SV was not associated with increased reports of regrets for sex attributed to alcohol use. Alcohol prevention strategies for the most at-risk youth, including homeless youth, are warranted to improve self-efficacy to refuse sex among youth living in the slums of Kampala.

Many bystander training programs aim to build empathy and decrease false and often prejudicial beliefs about rape and its occurrence (i.e., rape myth acceptance) to encourage prosocial bystander intervention. However, little empirical research has examined the association between these constructs. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of rape myth acceptance on the relation between both (a) the ability to experience and share the emotions of others (i.e., emotional empathy) and (b) the ability to understand the emotions of others (i.e., cognitive empathy), and bystander decision-making and intentions to intervention. In Study 1, 154 undergraduate men completed measures of empathy, rape myth acceptance, and bystander decision-making. Findings demonstrated that emotional empathy was associated with more perceived pros for intervention among men with low, but not high, levels of rape myth acceptance. In Study 2, 185 undergraduate men and 210 undergraduate women completed similar measures as in Study 1, with the addition of a measure on bystander intentions to intervene. Results detected a conditional indirect effect of emotional and cognitive empathy on bystander intentions to intervene via the perception that there are more pros than cons to intervention. Findings suggest that empathic individuals may weigh helping a potential victim (i.e., pro) over hurting their own self-image (i.e., con). However, this process is inhibited among men who endorse greater rape myths, likely because they are inhibited from intervening at various steps of the decision-making model. Collectively, these results highlight the importance of targeting both empathy and rape myth acceptance to encourage prosocial bystander intervention.

The I3 Model posits that intimate partner violence (IPV) is determined by the relative strength of instigatory, impellance, and inhibitory factors. Although much research has examined nonsexual IPV, few studies have used the I3 Model to examine sexual IPV. This study investigated the effects of sexual IPV victimization (an impellor) and psychological flexibility (an inhibitor) on sexual IPV perpetration within a dyadic framework. Participants nested within 617 intimate couples completed measures of psychological flexibility and sexual IPV perpetration and victimization. Results showed that Actor IPV victimization was positively and Actor psychological flexibility was negatively associated with Actor IPV perpetration. Among those who experienced low levels of IPV victimization, psychological flexibility inhibited IPV perpetration. This inhibiting effect did not extend to Actors who experienced high levels of IPV victimization. Findings highlight the complex interactions between I3 factors and support continued dyadic examination of IPV perpetration etiology.

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.

Previous research has demonstrated a significant association between alcohol and aggression. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship have yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, we examined alcohol's effects on an attentional bias toward aggressogenic cues as the first step in a possible mediation model of alcohol-facilitated intimate partner aggression. More specifically, we tested an interactive effect of problematic alcohol use and acute alcohol intoxication on an attentional bias toward anger words. Participants in this study were 249 male and female heavy drinkers from the community with a history of past-year intimate partner aggression perpetration who participated in an alcohol-administration laboratory study assessing the effect of alcohol intoxication on cognitive biases. Multiple linear regression was used to test the proposed moderation model. Acute alcohol intoxication moderated the effect of problematic alcohol use on an attentional bias toward anger, with this effect being stronger for individuals in the alcohol compared to no-alcohol control condition. These findings suggest that problematic drinkers may be more likely to attend to aggressogenic stimuli while acutely intoxicated, relative to when they are sober. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

There are two distinct combinations of psychopathic traits (primary and secondary) that have been proposed to be a function of unique cognitive-affective deficits. This study sought to use theories of psychopathy to understand the factors that exacerbate (i.e., provocation) and attenuate (i.e., distraction) aggression in individuals high in psychopathic traits in a controlled laboratory task. Male undergraduates, who scored across the range of primary and secondary psychopathic traits, completed the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP; Taylor, 1967 ) under conditions of low and high provocation. Participants were also randomly assigned to either a distraction condition, in which they completed a distracting concurrent task, or a control condition, in which no such task was completed. Inconsistent with our prediction, results showed that regardless of condition, primary psychopathic traits were positively related to laboratory aggression. Consistent with our hypothesis, a positive association between secondary psychopathic traits and laboratory physical aggression was observed following high provocation among nondistracted participants; this association was significantly reduced among distracted participants. These results clarify the factors that contribute to aggression for individuals high in psychopathic traits and may provide directions for future intervention development.

Decades of research has identified alcohol use as a contributing cause of intimate partner aggression (IPA) perpetration; however, there have been fewer studies that seek to identify mediators of the relation between alcohol use and IPA perpetration. Building on research showing a positive association between problematic drinking and relationship dissatisfaction and relationship dissatisfaction and IPA, we examined whether relationship dissatisfaction accounted for the relation between problematic drinking and IPA perpetration in couples using statistical modeling that accounted for the interdependence between partners. Our results showed that (a) actor problematic drinking was related to actor psychological and physical IPA perpetration and that this relation was partially explained by actor relationship dissatisfaction, (b) partner problematic drinking was related to actor physical and psychological IPA perpetration and that this relation was partially explained by actor relationship dissatisfaction, and (c) partner problematic drinking was related to actor psychological IPA perpetration and that this relation was partially explained by partner relationship dissatisfaction. Together, our results highlight that when partner interdependence is considered, relationship dissatisfaction could be a potential mechanism of the alcohol-IPA association and provide some evidence for different pathways for psychological and physical aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective Research on college sexual violence perpetration suggests there are multiple groups of male perpetrators. It is important to understand the distinctions between perpetrator subgroups to determine appropriate prevention strategies, as multiple strategies may be necessary to address multiple types of perpetrators. However, previous studies on subgroups of sexually-violent college men have relied on theoretically based distinctions, and there is currently no consensus on how to best classify perpetrators based on their sexually violent behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to take a data-driven approach to identifying subgroups of sexually-violent college men to help clarify: 1) the number and size of cohesive subgroups of sexually-violent college men, and 2) the types of behaviors that characterize each group. Methods 1,982 college men across five universities in the U.S. self-reported their past sexually-violent behaviors, using the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES; Koss et al., 2007). Results Latent class analysis uncovered evidence for three groups: (1) a group unlikely to perpetrate any SV (88.6%); (2) a group likely to perpetrate SV using coercive tactics (verbal coercion or victim intoxication), but unlikely to use physical force (9.8%); and (3) a group likely to perpetrate the full range of SV (1.5%). Although the coercive tactics group was composed of men unlikely to use forceful tactics, it included the majority who attempted or completed rape based on legal definitions. Conclusions Our findings suggest that there are multiple, distinct perpetrator subgroups and signal the need for multiple prevention approaches, including approaches that address campus social norms.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent and serious public health problem. Alcohol use and misuse is one of the most well-known antecedents of IPV perpetration. However, minimal research examined whether alcohol use increases the risk for IPV perpetration among individuals who identify as a sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, or another non-heterosexual identity [LGB+]). This is particularly concerning given that rates of IPV and alcohol use are as high, if not higher, in LGB+ populations relative to their heterosexual peers. In this article we provide a brief review of existing alcohol-related IPV research among LGB+ populations, advance an integrated model of alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations, and discuss avenues for future research on this topic. Our review identified limited research on alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations, with no longitudinal or event level research on this topic. Incorporating tenets of minority stress models with models of alcohol-related IPV (i.e., I3 and Alcohol Myopia Theory), we propose an integrated theory of alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations. Based on the limited information available in the literature, our integrated theoretical model suggests several avenues for future research on alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations. We discuss these future areas for research and the importance of incorporating sexual minority stress frameworks into these investigations.

Research has implicated biased attention allocation toward emotional cues as a proximal mechanism in the association between trait disinhibition and physical aggression. The current study tested this putative cognitive mechanism by incentivizing a shift of attention from a provoking stimulus to a neutral stimulus during a laboratory aggression paradigm. Participants were 119 undergraduate men. They completed a questionnaire that assessed trait disinhibition, were randomly assigned to a distraction or no-distraction control condition, and completed a shock-based aggression task in which they received low and high provocation from a fictitious opponent. A significant positive association between trait disinhibition and physical aggression was found among non-distracted participants exposed to high, but not low, provocation. Distraction from provoking cues significantly attenuated this association. This study is among the first to provide experimental evidence of (a) the positive relation between trait disinhibition and laboratory-based physical aggression, and (b) a potential method for attenuating this association.

OBJECTIVES: Bystander training is a promising form of sexual violence (SV) prevention that has proliferated in recent years. Though alcohol commonly accompanies SV, there has been little consideration of the potential impact of bystander alcohol intoxication on SV prevention. The aims of this commentary are to provide an integrative framework for understanding the proximal effect of alcohol on SV intervention, provide recommendations to spark novel research, and guide the application of research to bystander programming efforts. METHOD: This commentary begins with a review of existing bystander training programs and the need to target alcohol use and misuse in these programming efforts. Next, pertinent alcohol and bystander theories and research are drawn from to develop a framework for the proximal effect of alcohol on SV intervention. RESULTS: The well-established decision-making model of bystander behavior (Latané & Darley, 1970) and Alcohol Myopia Theory (Josephs & Steele, 1990) are used to identify potential barriers to SV intervention that may be created or exacerbated by alcohol use. Additionally, the ways in which alcohol may facilitate intervention are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Specific recommendations are made for elucidating the relationship between alcohol and bystander behavior and testing the impact of alcohol at each level of the presented framework. Methodological and analytic concerns are discussed, including the need for more multi-method studies. Recommendations to guide the application of the present framework to SV prevention programming efforts are provided and consider how the proximal effects of alcohol impact intervention.

Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a complex construct composed of the means and the motivations by which a person harms his or her intimate partner. Existing measures only assess forms of IPA perpetration while neglecting to measure the motivations for aggressing. The present study sought to fill this lacuna by adapting and validating an existing measure of the forms and functions of adolescent peer aggression to assess IPA perpetration in adults. This new measure-the Forms and Functions of Intimate Partner Aggression (FFIPA)-comprises 4 latent dimensions of IPA (i.e., overt, relational, proactive, and reactive). Participants were 341 heavy-drinking heterosexual couples (N = 682) with a recent history of psychological and/or physical IPA recruited from 2 metropolitan cities in the United States. The FFIPA demonstrated good model fit and internal validity. Unique patterns of convergent and criterion-related validity supported the 4 dimensions of the FFIPA. Results also indicated women perpetrated significantly more overt and relational aggression than men. Findings support the FFIPA as a valid measure of the forms and functions of IPA perpetration. More important, as the only instrument that parses the forms and functions of IPA perpetration, the FFIPA delineates the unique motivations of an aggressive partner separately from the form of his or her aggressive behavior(s). Further replication is needed to generalize this measure to nonconflictual and other types of intimate relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Extant literature suggests that men may be less likely than women to engage in prosocial bystander behavior to interrupt sexual and relationship violence. However, there has been little consideration of the influence of masculine gender role discrepancy and masculine discrepancy stress (i.e., stress that occurs when men perceive themselves as falling short of traditional gender norms) on men’s bystander beliefs and behaviors. The current study fills an important gap in the literature by assessing the influence of masculine gender role discrepancy and masculine discrepancy stress on a range of prosocial bystander behaviors through their influence on the bystander decision-making process. Participants were 356 undergraduate men recruited from two different Southeastern U.S. universities who completed online surveys assessing self-perceptions of gender role discrepancy, consequent discrepancy stress, bystander decision-making, and bystander behavior in sexual and relationship violence contexts. Path models indicated significant conditional indirect effects of masculine gender role discrepancy on proactive bystander behaviors (i.e., behaviors related to making a plan in advance of being in a risky situation) and bystander behavior in drinking situations across levels of masculine discrepancy stress. Specifically, men who believed that they are less masculine than the typical man reported more pros to intervention in sexual and relationship violence than cons, and thus reported intervening more, but only if they were high in masculine discrepancy stress. Findings suggest that bystander intervention programs should explicitly address and challenge rigid expectations of what it means to be “manly” to transform gender expectations perpetuating sexual and relationship violence.

Bystander training programs have proliferated on college campuses to prevent alcohol and non–alcohol-related sexual aggression. However, many programs fail to address the effects of a bystander’s alcohol use on intervention. This is not surprising due to the limited research examining this association. To this end, the present study examined how heavy drinking and a known correlate of intervention, men’s adherence to traditional masculinity, are jointly and independently associated with bystander behavior in drinking contexts. Participants were 148 community men between the ages of 21 and 30 who completed measures of heavy drinking, adherence to traditional male role norms, and prior bystander behavior in drinking contexts aimed at helping friends and strangers. Hierarchical linear regressions demonstrated that adherence to the belief that men should attain social status was associated with more frequent bystander behavior for friends, whereas adherence to the belief that men should avoid stereotypical feminine activities was associated with less frequent bystander behavior for friends. In addition, the relation between adherence to the belief that men should avoid stereotypical feminine activities and bystander behavior for friends was significant and negative among heavy drinkers but not among non-heavy drinkers. Findings suggest that men who avoid stereotypical feminine activities may be most inhibited from intervening to help friends in party contexts if they are heavy, compared with non-heavy, drinkers. These men are likely consuming alcohol in these party contexts and may benefit from targeted, gender-specific, interventions.

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million differen...

Alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for aggressive behavior. However, evidence suggests that alcohol's effect on aggression varies as a function of individual- and situational-based instigating and inhibiting factors. Endorsement of traditional masculine gender norms has been consistently identified as an instigating factor for alcohol-related aggression. Likewise, individuals who habitually engage in thought suppression (i.e., the attempt to inhibit the occurrence of unwanted thoughts) have been shown to be at increased risk for behavioral disinhibition and aggression. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that thought suppression mediates the association between masculine norms and alcohol-related aggression. Two hundred forty-five men with a history of recent heavy episodic alcohol use completed surveys assessing their endorsement of traditional masculine norms, use of thought suppression, and both trait and alcohol-related aggression. Results indicated that thought suppression fully mediated the association between the toughness masculine norm and alcohol-related aggression. In addition, thought suppression partially mediated the association between the toughness norm and trait aggression. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential utility of cognitive-emotion regulation and norm-based interventions for reducing alcohol-related aggression.

Introduction and Aims Problematic drinking and executive functioning deficits are two known risk factors for intimate partner aggression (IPA). However, executive functioning is a multifaceted construct, and it is not clear whether deficits in specific components of executive functioning are differentially associated with IPA perpetration generally and within the context of problematic alcohol use. To address this question, the present study investigated the effects of problematic drinking and components of executive functioning on physical IPA perpetration within a dyadic framework. Design and Methods Participants were 582 heavy drinking couples (total n = 1164) with a recent history of psychological and/or physical IPA recruited from two metropolitan cities in the USA. Multilevel models were used to examine effects within an actor–partner interdependence framework. Results The highest levels of physical IPA were observed among actors who reported everyday consequences of executive functioning deficits related to emotional dysregulation whose partners were problematic drinkers. However, the association between executive functioning deficits related to emotional dysregulation and IPA was stronger towards partners who were non-problematic drinkers relative to partners who were problematic drinkers. No such effect was found for executive functioning deficits related to behavioural regulation. Discussion and Conclusions Results provide insight into how problematic drinking and specific executive functioning deficits interact dyadically in relation to physical IPA perpetration. [Parrott DJ, Swartout KM, Eckhardt CI, Subramani OS. Deconstructing the associations between executive functioning, problematic alcohol use and intimate partner aggression: A dyadic analysis. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:88–96]

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of the present investigation was to directly examine a theoretically based, self-awareness intervention manipulation for at-risk men's alcohol-related aggression toward women. This study was developed in response to a call in the literature for research to (a) empirically investigate specific intervention techniques that reduce aggression, and (b) identify in whom such interventions will have the greatest impact. METHOD: A community sample (77% African American) of 94 heavy-drinking males age 21 years and older (M = 35.61) completed a battery of questionnaires that assessed alcohol consumption and perpetration of aggression toward women during the past year as well as dispositional masculine gender role stress. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention manipulation designed to focus attention onto inhibitory, self-awareness cues, or a control group. Following beverage consumption, participants were provoked with a gender-relevant provocation from a female confederate and participants' physical aggression was measured using a shock-based aggression task. RESULTS: Men who received the intervention manipulation, relative to control, enacted significantly less alcohol-related physical aggression toward the female confederate. This finding held for men who reported lower, but not higher, levels of masculine gender role stress. CONCLUSION: Findings support the development of interventions that aim to redirect intoxicated men's attention toward stimuli that are nonaggressive, nonprovocative, or prohibitive of aggressive behavior. However, caution is warranted that en masse dissemination of such interventions may not impact the most at-risk men for alcohol-related violence toward women. (PsycINFO Database Record(c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en

Alcohol Myopia Theory (AMT; Steele & Josephs, 1990) purports that alcohol facilitates aggression by narrowing attentional focus onto salient and instigatory cues common to conflict situations. However, few tests of its counterintuitive prediction – that alcohol may decrease aggression when inhibitory cues are most salient – have been conducted. The present study examined whether an AMT-inspired self-awareness intervention manipulation would reduce heavy drinking men’s intoxicated aggression toward women and also examined whether a relevant individual variable, locus of control, would moderate this effect. Participants were 102 intoxicated male heavy drinkers who completed a self-report measure of locus of control and completed the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (Taylor, 1967). In this task, participants administered electric shocks to, and received electric shocks from, a fictitious female opponent while exposed to an environment saturated with or devoid of self-awareness cues. Results indicated that the self-awareness manipulation was associated with less alcohol-related aggression toward the female confederate for men who reported an internal, but not an external, locus of control. Findings support AMT as a theoretical framework to inform preventative interventions for alcohol-related aggression and highlight the importance of individual differences in receptivity to such interventions.

Alcohol use and impulsivity are 2 known risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV). The current study examined the independent and interactive effects of problematic drinking and 5 facets of impulsivity (i.e., negative urgency, positive urgency, sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, and lack of perseverance) on perpetration of physical IPV within a dyadic framework. Participants were 289 heavy drinking heterosexual couples (total N = 578) with a recent history of psychological and/or physical IPV recruited from 2 metropolitan U.S. cities. Parallel multilevel actor partner interdependence models were used and demonstrated actor problematic drinking, negative urgency, and lack of perseverance were associated with physical IPV. Findings also revealed associations between partner problematic drinking and physical IPV as well as significant Partner Problematic Drinking × Actor Impulsivity (Negative Urgency and Positive Urgency) interaction effects on physical IPV. Findings highlight the importance of examining IPV within a dyadic framework and are interpreted using the I3 metatheoretical model. (PsycINFO Database Record

Purpose Theory has identified alcohol expectancies as a facilitating factor in the association between problematic drinking and suicidal ideation. In the first test of this question, we explored whether the impact of problematic drinking on suicidal ideation depended on alcohol expectancies. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional, observational, survey data from a convenience sample of 444 individuals court-ordered to domestic violence intervention programs (69.5% non-Hispanic White; 78.6% Male-identified; Mage = 32.53, SDage = 10.10). Results Parallel analysis and exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure of the Effects of Drinking Alcohol Scale, including alcohol expectancies related to 1) disinhibition and negative mood, 2) positive mood, and 3) physical and cognitive effects. Multiple linear regression employing bootstrapping procedures tested the moderating effects of these expectancies on the association between problematic drinking and suicidal ideation, while controlling for gender and depressive symptoms. Problematic drinking was negatively associated with suicidal ideation at low levels of disinhibition and negative mood expectancies, and this association became more positive as these expectancies increased. Problematic drinking was negatively associated with suicidal ideation at high levels of positive mood and became more positive as these expectancies decreased. Discussion These preliminary findings suggest that expectancies related to the mood-altering and disinhibiting effects of alcohol may play a role in whether problematic drinking facilitates suicidal thinking. Future intensive longitudinal designs are needed to test whether this moderation is replicated during periods of acute alcohol intoxication and when other psychiatric symptoms are controlled.

This study evaluated a mechanism by which men’s self-efficacy to intervene increases their likelihood of preventing a laboratory analogue of sexual aggression (SA) via specific verbalizations and whether alcohol inhibits this mechanism. A sample of 78 male peer dyads were randomly assigned to consume an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage and complete a laboratory paradigm to assess bystander intervention to prevent SA toward a female who had ostensibly consumed an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage. Participants’ verbalizations during the task were subjected to quantitative analysis. Regardless of alcohol use, bystander self-efficacy increased the likelihood of successful bystander intervention via participants’ use of more prosocial verbalizations. Findings highlight prosocial verbalizations within the male peer context that may effectively prevent SA.

Official crime statistics and self-reports of sexual aggression perpetration are limited by various factors (e.g., lack of reporting, social desirability bias), as well as an inability to use these measures in experimental studies of sexual aggression. To address these issues, Nagayama Hall et al. (1994) developed a laboratory analog measure of sexual aggression, which has received empirical support as a valid measure of sexual aggression proclivity. Here, we seek to replicate these findings and further validate the paradigm by examining sexually aggressive responses in relation to a range of recently emerging predictors of sexual aggression (e.g., sexual objectification, sexual narcissism) as well as participants’ perceptions of a female confederate serving as the target of sexual aggression. A sample of 49 undergraduate men completed questionnaires and participated in the sexual aggression analog task. Results of logistic regression analyses supported both criterion and construct validity of the analog task; men who chose the sexually explicit video were more likely to report prior sexual aggression, greater sexual objectification of women, higher sexual narcissism, greater hostile sexism, and higher impersonal dating. These men were also more likely to express dehumanizing beliefs about the female confederate, consider her less intelligent, and believe she was more distressed by the video. These results replicate and extend prior research supporting this paradigm as a valid laboratory-based measure of sexual aggression proclivity that can be used in tandem with validated self-report measures.

Relationship dissatisfaction is a known risk factor for intimate partner aggression (IPA). However, the possible effect of weak emotion regulation skills on this association is unclear, particularly in couples at risk for violence who drink alcohol heavily. This study examined the moderating effect of emotion regulation on the association between relationship dissatisfaction and physical IPA perpetration within a dyadic framework. Participants were 583 heavy drinking couples ( N = 1,166) with a recent history of psychological and/or physical IPA recruited from two metropolitan cities in the United States. Multilevel models were used to examine effects within an actor–partner interdependence framework. Gender, Actor dissatisfaction, and Actor and Partner emotion regulation were associated with greater physical IPA perpetration. Actor relationship dissatisfaction predicted significantly greater physical IPA perpetration in Actors characterized by weak versus strong emotion regulation. Furthermore, partner relationship dissatisfaction predicted significantly increased physical IPA perpetration in Actors reporting weak, versus strong, emotion regulation. Gender did not significantly interact with model variables. Utilizing the I3 metatheoretical model of IPA within a dyadic framework, results provide insight into the interactive effects of relationship dissatisfaction and emotion regulation deficits on physical IPA perpetration, particularly in those individuals already at risk for perpetration.

BACKGROUND: Bystander training programs aim to encourage third-party witnesses to intervene in high-risk sexual situations; however, these programs rarely focus on training bystanders to effectively intervene when intoxicated. This is not surprising due to the limited evidence on the proximal effects of alcohol on bystander intervention for sexual aggression. To this end, the aim of the present study was to test the effects of men’s self-reported intent to help strangers and acute alcohol intoxication on the likelihood and speed of sexual aggression intervention. METHODS: Participants were 74 men who completed a measure of intent to help (Session 1) and were randomly assigned to consume alcohol or a no-alcohol control beverage (Session 2). Next, they engaged in a novel laboratory paradigm in which they and four confederates (two men, two women) watched a female confederate, who reported a strong dislike of sexual content in the media, view a sexually explicit film which they could stop at any time. Bystander intervention was operationalized as whether and how quickly participants stopped the film. RESULTS: Findings indicated that (1) intent to help strangers predicted faster sexual aggression intervention, and (2) intent to help strangers predicted a higher likelihood and faster rate of sexual aggression intervention among sober, but not intoxicated, men. This latter finding suggests that among men who endorsed a high willingness to intervene in sexual aggression, alcohol intoxication decreased intervention behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that alcohol functions as a barrier to intervention for men who would otherwise intervene. Findings are interpreted using an integrative framework for intoxicated sexual aggression intervention and highlight the need for bystander training programs to incorporate alcohol interventions to reduce heavy drinking and psychoeducation to train bystander how to intervene when intoxicated.

The present study examined and compared the effects of 2 analogues of cognitive treatments-cognitive defusion and cognitive reappraisal-on symbolically generalized avoidance established using a basic behavioral laboratory paradigm. This back-translation design contributes to the development and validation of principle-based definitions of the applied constructs of defusion and reappraisal. Eighty-eight participants first underwent basic laboratory procedures designed to establish symbolically generalized avoidance in response to an arbitrary stimulus (a nonsense word). Participants were then randomized to defusion, reappraisal, or control conditions. The response variables were (a) equivalence responding-indicative of the trained relational network and analogous to the cognitive content responsible for symbolic generalization-and (b) avoidance-the behavioral impact of symbolic generalization. A between-groups analysis revealed that defusion and reappraisal significantly increased the odds of nonavoidance responding. Discrete-time survival mediation analyses provided preliminary support for the classification of defusion as a functional context intervention and reappraisal as a relational context intervention.

The aim of this investigation was to examine a theoretically based mechanism by which men's adherence to antifeminine norms is associated with their perpetration of sexual aggression toward intimate partners. Participants were 208 heterosexual men between the ages of 21-35 who had consumed alcohol in the past year. They were recruited from a large southeastern United States city. Participants completed self-report measures of hegemonic masculinity (i.e., antifemininity, sexual dominance), masculine gender role stress, and sexual aggression toward an intimate partner during the past 12 months. Results indicated that adherence to the antifemininity norm and the tendency to experience stress when in subordinate positions to women were indirectly related to sexual aggression perpetration via adherence to the sexual dominance norm. Thus, the men who adhere strongly to these particular hegemonic masculine norms may feel compelled to be sexually aggressive and/or coercive toward an intimate partner in order to maintain their need for dominance within their intimate relationship. Implications for future research and sexual aggression prevention programming are discussed.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current study was to examine the bystander decision-making process as a mechanism by which men's adherence to various dimensions of traditional masculinity is associated with their confidence to intervene in sexually aggressive events. Further, this study examined the stress men experience from their attempts to adhere to traditional male gender roles as a moderator of this mediational path. METHOD: Participants (n = 252) completed measures of traditional masculinity, decisional balance (i.e., weighing the pros and cons) for intervening, masculine gender roles stress, and bystander efficacy. RESULTS: The belief that men must attain social status was associated with more confidence in men's ability to intervene. This effect was mediated by greater perceived positive consequences for intervention among men high, but not low, in masculine gender role stress. The belief that men should be tough and aggressive was associated with greater perceived negative consequences for intervention and less confidence to intervene. The belief that men should not act in stereotypically feminine ways was directly associated with less confidence for intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of examining masculinity from a multidimensional perspective to better understand how adherence to various norms differentially influences bystander behavior. These findings may help to inform bystander intervention programming. Language: en

This study examined whether self-identified race and prior contact with a gay man or lesbian moderate the association between AIDS-related stigma and aggression toward gay men and lesbians when controlling for sexual prejudice. A regional, community-recruited sample of 194 heterosexual men (50% Black, 50% White) completed measures of AIDS-related stigma, sexual prejudice, and prior contact with gay men and lesbians. Regression analyses showed that AIDS-related stigma was positively associated with aggression toward gay men and lesbians among White men who reported no prior contact, but not among White men who endorsed prior contact and Black men regardless of prior contact. FINDINGS suggest that intergroup contact may be a key component to reducing the effects of AIDS-related stigma towards stigmatized groups. Implications for aggression theory and intervention are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 9999:XX-XX, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en

BACKGROUND: Anger and problematic alcohol use have been established as individual risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) victimisation and perpetration, but it is unknown how these factors convey risk for IPV perpetration for men and women within the context of mutually violent relationships. HYPOTHESES: Anger and problematic alcohol use were hypothesised to mediate the association between IPV victimisation and perpetration for men and women, with direct and indirect influences from partner variables. METHODS: Heterosexual couples (N = 215) at high-risk for IPV completed questionnaires indexing trait anger, problematic alcohol use and extent of past-year IPV perpetration and victimisation. An actor-partner interdependence modelling (APIM) framework was used to evaluate these cross-sectional data for two hypothesised models and one parsimonious alternative. RESULTS: The best-fitting model indicated that IPV victimisation showed the strongest direct effect on physical IPV perpetration for both men and women. For women, but not men, the indirect effect of IPV victimisation on physical IPV perpetration through anger approached significance. For men, but not women, the victimisation-perpetration indirect effect through problematic drinking approached significance. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results suggest that anger and problem drinking patterns play different yet important roles for men and women in mutually violent relationships. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en

This study examined the interactive effects of injunctive norm exposure and hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes on men's sexually aggressive responses during a behavioral analogue paradigm in which they interacted online with a bogus female partner. Heterosexual adult men (n = 201), recruited from an online sample, read fictional information regarding other men's approval of misogynistic, paternalistic, or egalitarian treatment of women, or non-gender-relevant control information. Through a media preference survey, men then learned that their female partner disliked sexual content in films, after which they had an opportunity to send her up to 120 sec' worth of either a sexually explicit or nonsexual film clip. Validating the online sexual aggression paradigm, men with a 1-year history of sexual assault exhibited more sexually aggressive responding during the film selection paradigm. Moreover, exposure to injunctive norm information produced a boomerang effect, such that men high in hostile sexist attitudes showed an increase in sexual aggression when confronted with paternalism and gender equality norms. Conversely, exposure to paternalism and gender equality norms suppressed the otherwise protective function of high benevolent sexism in reducing men's sexually aggressive tendencies. The implications of these results for social norms interventions are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 9999:1-14, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en

Nearly 32% of women report experiencing physical violence from an intimate partner and more than 8% report being raped by a significant other in their lifetime. Young people’s perceptions that their peers perpetrate relationship violence have been shown to increase the odds of self-reported perpetration. Yet, limited research has been conducted on this relationship as individuals begin to age out of adolescence. The present study sought to examine the link between the perception of peer perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and self-reported IPV perpetration among a sample of predominately young adult (21-35 years) males. This study also explored the discordance between the perception of peer IPV behavior and self-reported perpetration. Data from 101 male peer dyads ( n = 202) were taken from a study on the effects of alcohol and bystander intervention in Atlanta, Georgia. Thirty-six percent ( n = 73) of men reported perpetrating physical IPV and 67% ( n = 135) reported perpetrating sexual IPV in the past 12 months. Nearly 35% ( n = 55) of the sample reported that none of their peers had perpetrated physical IPV, which contradicted their friend’s self-report of physical IPV perpetration. Similarly, 68% ( n = 115) of the men perceived none of their peers to have perpetrated sexual IPV, which contradicted their friend’s self-report of sexual IPV perpetration. Discordance variables were significantly associated with self-reported perpetration for both physical (χ2 = 152.7, p < .01) and sexual (χ2 = 164.4, p < .01) IPV. These results point to an underestimation of peer IPV perpetration among young adult males. Findings suggest a traditional social norms approach to IPV prevention, which seeks to persuade individuals that negative behaviors are less common than perceived, may not be the best approach given a significant number of men believed their friends were nonviolent when they had perpetrated violence.

This chapter aims to critically review theoretical and empirical evidence that seeks to explain how hegemonic masculinity contributes to, and is a result of, men’s perpetration of aggression. It focuses on hegemonic masculinity, which refers to: the configuration of gender practice which embodies the accepted answer to the problem of the legitimacy of patriarchy, which guarantees the dominant position of men and the subordination of women. Scholars have utilised multiple approaches to examine hegemonic masculinity; however, three approaches have been the most widely used: gender orientation, gender normative and masculine gender stress. The gender orientation approach is one of the earliest conceptualisations of masculinity and posits that masculinity is comprised of socially desirable, ingrained personality traits or attributes that differentiate males and females. The gender normative perspective purports that masculinity is “a culturally based ideology scripting gender relations, attitudes, and beliefs”. Aggression may also be a tactic used to demonstrate hegemonic masculinity.