Over-arousal as a Mechanism Between Alcohol and Intimate Partner Violence

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2018-08-31
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem costing $8.3 billion per year with over $6 billion in direct medical and mental health costs alone. Alcohol is present in most incidents of IPV, and contributes to more frequent and severe IPV incidents. These facts, coupled with the fact that there are no effective interventions for IPV, make understanding mechanisms through which alcohol is associated with IPV critical.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of New Mexico
• Collaborator: The Mind Research Network
• Treatments: Ethanol

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• English-speaking

• Heterosexual,

• Be in a distressed relationship

• consume at least one to two alcoholic drinks per sitting each week for females and three to four alcoholic drinks for males

• report two binge drinking episodes (>4 drinks for males, >3 drinks for females) in month prior to assessment

• be married or cohabitating for at least six months

• both partners must be willing to participate

• must have a breath alcohol level of 0.0 g% at all visits.

• Distressed Violent couples must have a history of at least mild physical aggression in the past six months (e.g.,twisted partner's arm or hair).

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently separated

• an order of protection in place

• facing violence-related criminal charges

• currently in a domestic violence shelter

• evidence of psychosis or severe personality disturbance

• pregnant

• taking a medication contraindicated for use with alcohol

• currently taking insulin or oral hypoglycemic medication,

• an AUDIT score greater than 19 indicating dependent drinking

• illicit drug use (except marijuana)

• provide a positive urinalysis at first emotion-regulation session