Online Crowdsourcing as a Quasi-Experimental Method for Collecting Data on the Perpetration of Alcohol-Related Partner Aggression.

Cross-sectional survey, prospective, and experimental data have been evaluated to better understand the role of alcohol as a contributing cause of intimate partner aggression. Laboratory-based alcohol administration studies provide controlled data regarding causality, but the use of this methodology lacks ecological validity and has been hampered by rigorous procedural and financial demands. Online crowdsourcing is an emerging pseudoexperimental methodology with low costs, rapid data collection, access to diverse populations, greater ecological validity, and the potential to facilitate prolific research to supplement the chronic scarcity of experimental data. The current rapid review first summarizes prior methodological approaches to investigating the proximal influence of alcohol on partner aggression, then reviews prior crowdsourcing research in the disparate areas of alcohol and partner aggression, then describes aggression paradigms that may be readily adapted to online administration. We conclude by introducing recommendations for future quasi-experimental research investigating alcohol-related partner aggression research using the online crowdsourcing methodology. Initial evidence suggests that online crowdsourcing may yield appropriate samples and that existing paradigms may be adapted to rapidly, efficiently, and ethically supplement experimental alcohol-related partner aggression research.

The Impact of Depressive Symptoms on Response to Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders and Intimate Partner Violence.

PURPOSE: Past studies demonstrated the efficacy of integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for substance use disorder (SUD) and intimate partner violence (IPV) as well as high rates of depressive symptoms in this population. However, little is known about how depressive symptoms impact treatment outcomes. We hypothesized that integrated CBT, but not standard drug counseling (DC), would buffer the negative effects of depressive symptoms on treatment response. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A secondary analysis of a randomized trial compared men assigned to 12 weeks of integrated CBT for SUD and IPV (n=29) to those in DC (n=34). FINDINGS: Most (60%) of the sample reported any depressive symptoms. Controlling for baseline IPV, reporting any depressive symptoms was associated with more positive cocaine screens during treatment. Among men with depressive symptoms, integrated CBT but not DC was associated with fewer positive cocaine screens. Controlling for baseline alcohol variables, integrated CBT and depressive symptoms were each associated with less aggression outside of intimate relationships (e.g., family, strangers) during treatment. For men without depressive symptoms, integrated CBT was associated with less non-IPV aggression compared to DC. Effects were not significant for other substances, IPV, or at follow-up. ORIGINALITY: Although integrated CBT's efficacy for improving SUD and IPV has been established, moderators of treatment response have not been investigated. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Integrated CBT buffered depressive symptoms' impact on cocaine use, yet only improved non-IPV aggression in men without depressive symptoms. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This study found some evidence for differential response to CBT by depressive symptoms on cocaine and aggression at end of treatment, which did not persist three months later. Future studies should explore mechanisms of integrated CBT for SUD and IPV, including mood regulation, on depressive symptoms in real-world samples.

A meta-analytic review of the relationship between cyber aggression and substance use.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has demonstrated that various substances of abuse play a contributing role to acts of physical and verbal aggression. It is less clear if and to what extent substance use is associated with an increased risk in perpetrating cyber aggression, an emerging form of aggressive behavior that occurs through digital communication. METHODS: A comprehensive review of the literature resulted in 15 studies and 18 unique samples from which effect size estimates were calculated. RESULTS: Analyses resulted in a moderate, significant mean observed correlation indicating that individuals who engaged in substance use were more likely than those who did not to perpetrate cyber aggression (r = 0.24, k = 18, 95% CI = 0.20, 0.28). Comparing data across types of substances revealed that alcohol use represents a stronger risk factor for cyber aggression than nicotine, cannabis, or other illicit drugs. Results also suggest a stronger relationship between substance use and cyber aggression among older than younger samples and in the context of intimate partner rather than peer aggression. Comparable estimates of substance-related cyber aggression emerged across types of cyber aggression and perpetrator gender. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required to increase confidence in estimates used in moderation analyses. As with traditional aggression, alcohol use appears to represent a risk factor for cyber aggression, though it is unclear if the disinhibitory properties of alcohol are the mechanism of action for substance-related cyber aggression.

Provocation and target gender as moderators of the relationship between acute alcohol use and female perpetrated aggression.

Acute alcohol use appears to exert a small but significant effect on female perpetrated aggression in the laboratory but there has been no effort to evaluate comprehensively the situational moderators of this relationship. This preliminary review was intended to explore the moderating effects of provocation and target gender on alcohol-related aggression among females in this understudied area of research. Moderator analyses were conducted on 14 studies. Despite limitations imposed by the sparsity of laboratory based research on alcohol-related aggression among females, initial results suggest that alcohol may exert stronger effects over female aggression following high (d = 0.25, k = 8, p < .01, 95% CI = 0.10-0.40) rather than low (d = -0.07, k = 6, p = .52, 95% CI = -0.29-0.15) provocation and when targets of aggression are female (d = 0.19, k = 9, p = .01, 95% CI = 0.04-0.34) rather than male (d = -0.06, k = 4, p = .61, 95% CI = -0.30-0.18). Results offer initial insight into situational risk factors pertinent to research and treatment of alcohol-related aggression among females while serving as an impetus for future research in this critical, neglected area of study.

Problematic alcohol use as a risk factor for cyber aggression within romantic relationships.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cyber aggression has emerged as a modern form of intimate partner violence which has yet to undergo sufficient research necessary to identify risk factors that may increase the likelihood or severity of cyber aggressive behavior toward a relationship partner. Prior research offers contradictory findings pertaining to the relationship between problematic alcohol use and cyber aggression. METHODS: We recruited 100 (40 female) adult participants through online crowdsourcing to complete a series of questionnaires assessing traditional partner violence, cyber aggression, and problematic alcohol use. RESULTS: Forty-two percent of the sample reported perpetrating cyber relational aggression and 35% reported perpetrating cyber privacy invasion during the year prior to study participation. Traditional partner violence was associated with both forms of cyber aggression. Problematic alcohol use was only associated with privacy invasion after accounting for demographic factors and traditional partner violence. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Cyber aggression was prevalent among the current adult sample. Results suggest that problematic alcohol use is a risk factor for cyber privacy invasion but not cyber relational aggression. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Findings add to and clarify the nascent, conflicting results that have emerged from prior research on alcohol-related cyber aggression. (Am J Addict 2018;XX:1-7).

A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance-Dependent Domestic Violence Offenders: An Integrated Substance Abuse-Domestic Violence Treatment Approach (SADV).

The current study evaluates a therapy for substance-dependent perpetrators of partner violence. Sixty-three males arrested for partner violence within the past year were randomized to a cognitive behavioral substance abuse-domestic violence (SADV; n = 29) or a drug counseling (DC; n = 34) condition. Seventy percent of offenders completed eight core sessions with no differences between SADV and DC conditions in the amount of substance or aggression at pretreatment. SADV participants had fewer cocaine-positive toxicology screens and breathalyzer results during treatment, were less likely to engage in aggressive behavior proximal to a drinking episode, and reported fewer episodes of violence than DC participants at posttreatment follow-up. SADV shows promise in decreasing addiction and partner violence among substance-dependent male offenders.

The proximal effects of acute alcohol use on female aggression: A meta-analytic review of the experimental literature.

Experimental research on alcohol-related aggression has focused largely upon male participants, providing only a limited understanding of the proximal effects of acute alcohol use on aggression among females extrapolated from the male literature. The current meta-analysis was undertaken to summarize the effects of alcohol, compared to placebo or no alcohol, on female aggression as observed across experimental investigations. A review of the literature yielded 11 articles and 12 effect sizes for further analysis. The overall effect size of alcohol on female aggression was small and reached statistical significance (d = .17, p = .02, 95% confidence interval [.03, .30]). Meta-analytic examination of the experimental literature indicated that alcohol is a significant factor in female aggression. The overall alcohol-aggression effect was smaller than has been observed among male samples. Additional research is required to evaluate the influence of other factors on alcohol-related aggressive responding among female participants. (PsycINFO Database Record

Integrated treatment options for male perpetrators of intimate partner violence.

ISSUES: Male-to-female intimate partner violence remains a worldwide public health issue with adverse physical and psychological consequences for victims, perpetrators and children. Personality disorders, addiction, trauma and mood symptoms are established risk factors for intimate partner violence perpetration and factor prominently into a recovery-oriented treatment approach. APPROACH: We reviewed the partner violence literature for detailed reports of traditional as well as innovative, integrated treatment approaches. Empirically based recommendations for intervention programs and the policies that guide intervention efforts are offered. KEY FINDINGS: Nascent research suggests that integrated treatment models utilising a holistic approach to account for psychological comorbidity and interventions that involve a motivational interviewing component appear promising in terms of significantly improving intimate partner violence treatment compliance and reducing subsequent acts of physical partner violence. Further, methodologically rigorous research is required to fully assess the benefits of traditional and integrated treatment options. IMPLICATIONS: We have advanced several recommendations, including the development of and exclusive reliance upon empirically supported treatments, conducting a thorough risk and needs assessment of the offender and the immediate family to facilitate appropriate treatment referrals, integrating content to foster the offender's internal motivation to change maladaptive behaviours, and attempting to minimise offender treatment burdens through the strategic use of integrated treatment models. CONCLUSIONS: Intimate partner violence is a complicated and nuanced problem that is perpetrated by a heterogeneous population and requires greater variability in integrated treatment options. [Crane CA, Easton CJ. Integrated treatment options for male perpetrators of intimate partner violence. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:24-33].

Physical Health Conditions and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Offenders With Alcohol Use Diagnoses.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent among samples with diagnosed alcohol use disorders (AUDs), but few studies have evaluated the factors that account for this increased risk, and none have systematically evaluated the risk posed by comorbid physical health conditions. The present study evaluated the likelihood of perpetrating IPV among alcohol diagnosed offenders with medical health problems relative to healthy counterparts. Physical health and partner violence data provided by 655 criminal offenders with AUDs diagnosed during a court-ordered substance abuse evaluation were examined. One third of participants (35.3%) endorsed a physical health condition, and 46.4% reported perpetrating physical IPV. The odds of perpetrating IPV among participants with a physical health condition were 2.29 times larger than among healthy participants. Specific conditions emerged as risk factors for IPV, including brain injury, cardiac issues, chronic pain, liver issues, gastrointestinal symptoms, hepatitis, and recent injury. Findings highlight the importance of identifying and managing physical health conditions that may complicate IPV treatment efforts. Integrated behavioral and medical health treatment approaches may increase treatment compliance and reduce the risk of future partner violence among offenders with co-occurring issues, such as mental illness, addiction, and physical health conditions.

Interventions to reduce intimate partner violence perpetration among people with substance use disorders.

The social and economic cost of intimate partner violence (IPV) is exorbitant and highlights the need for policy reform as it pertains to IPV interventions at a global level. There are multiple variables associated with the aetiology of IPV and, hence, multiple treatment needs must be considered. Substance use is one of several factors likely to influence the occurrence of IPV, but often goes unaddressed in standard treatment approaches. This review will discuss several treatment models for substance using offenders of IPV, including Psycho-educational Models, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Couples' Treatments, Parenting Programmes, Integration of Care Models, and Pharmacotherapies. Clinical recommendations will be discussed. Treatment outcomes among substance using offenders of IPV may be improved by implementing changes in protocol that increase diagnostic evaluations, integrate care with evidence-based models, require limits to the number of offenders in a group, and require qualifications for clinicians who treat offenders (licensed and trained psychologists, social workers, and/or psychiatrists).

Comorbid substance use diagnoses and partner violence among offenders receiving pharmacotherapy for opioid dependence.

While previous studies find mixed evidence of an association between opioid use and intimate partner violence perpetration among community samples, initial evidence has detected increased rates of partner violence among individuals receiving pharmacological intervention for opioid dependence. The current study evaluated the role of current comorbid substance use diagnoses, a robust risk factor for violent behavior, on the likelihood of perpetrating partner violence among a high risk sample of offenders receiving pharmacological intervention for opioid dependence. The authors analyzed self-report data provided by 81 (55 male) opioid dependent offenders during a court-ordered substance use interview. Approximately one-third of the sample evidenced the recent use of intimate partner violence. Findings indicated that cocaine and benzodiazepine use were independently associated with an increased likelihood of reporting physical partner violence. Alcohol and cannabis use were not associated with partner violence. The current results offer further support for the ongoing need to conduct routine partner violence screenings among substance involved offenders and highlight the importance of developing individualized treatment plans that address comorbid substance use and partner-violent behaviors among individuals in treatment for opioid dependence.

Legal factors associated with change in alcohol use and partner violence among offenders.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive social concern that may be exacerbated by high rates of alcohol dependence among perpetrators. Society has attempted to combat IPV through various legal interventions, but the effects of specific legal factors on behavioral change and treatment compliance remain largely unexamined. The primary focus of the current study was to comprehensively evaluate the impact of various legal factors (i.e., judicial mandate, judicial monitoring, stage of change, and stake in conformity) on mandatory treatment compliance and behavioral change over a 12 week post-adjudication period among a high-risk sample of alcohol dependent IPV offenders (N = 60). Growth curve analyses revealed effects of judicial monitoring and stage of change such that participants reporting low perceived judicial monitoring and early stages of change reported higher initial levels and a more rapid reduction in IPV than those reporting high perceived judicial monitoring and late stages of change, who reported consistently low IPV. Although we found that legal factors were poor predictors of treatment compliance and alcohol use during treatment, the association between alcohol and IPV was moderated by the legal factors. Stake in conformity was negatively associated with IPV among low alcohol users and positively associated among high alcohol users whereas stage of change was negatively associated with IPV among high alcohol users. The current results suggest that pretreatment legal factors may represent an important consideration in reducing IPV among alcohol dependent offenders. Further research is required to determine the efficacy of legal factors in isolation of treatment as well as methods of manipulating these factors to optimally compliment a prescribed course of treatment.

Axis I psychopathology and the perpetration of intimate partner violence.

OBJECTIVES: Initial evidence suggests that individuals with specific psychiatric conditions may perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) at greater frequency than nondiagnosed comparison samples. The present investigation examined the relationship between IPV and specific clinical diagnoses. METHOD: The current investigation utilized data provided by 190 (34% female) adult offenders during court-mandated substance use evaluations to investigate the incidence of past-year IPV among samples of dually diagnosed (bipolar, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) clients relative to 3 comparison samples matched on substance use and sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Bipolar and PTSD diagnosed participants were more likely to perpetrate IPV than matched comparison and ADHD participants. Bipolar and PTSD diagnosed participants were equally likely to perpetrate IPV, as were ADHD and matched comparison samples. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of IPV perpetration among bipolar and PTSD diagnosed clients may complicate interpersonal and relationship functioning. The development of integrated treatments for IPV and underlying psychopathology is recommended.

Substance Use Disorders and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration among Male and Female Offenders.

OBJECTIVE: The current investigation sought to examine the direct associations and interactions among individual and concurrent alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, and opioid use diagnoses with the perpetration of intimate partner violence as well as to assess gender differences across these associations within a large forensic sample of male and female offenders. METHOD: Participants (1,290 male and 294 female) completed a court-mandated substance abuse evaluation during which they completed a clinical interview, either endorsing or denying recent physical partner violence perpetration. Specific substance use disorders were diagnosed based primarily upon responses to the clinical interview and were used to predict partner violence perpetration using logistic regression. RESULTS: Alcohol and cocaine use disorders were significantly associated with IPV perpetration over the past year. Cannabis and opioid use disorders were not directly associated with IPV. A comorbid alcohol use diagnosis increased the likelihood of IPV perpetration among participants with either a cannabis or a cocaine use disorder while participants with an alcohol use disorder were less likely to be violent if they had also met criteria for a cannabis use disorder. These relationships held across males and females. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings emphasize the importance of assessing associations between specific substances of abuse in researching and predicting partner violence and suggest that future efforts focus on the development of integrated treatments for co-occurring partner violence and substance use disorders.

The occurrence of female-to-male partner violence among male intimate partner violence offenders mandated to treatment: a brief research report.

Little is known about the perceived perpetration of female-to-male intimate partner violence by victims of male offenders mandated to treatment. Sixty-eight male perpetrators of partner violence completed measures of dyadic violent and aggressive responding at intake and at a 12-week follow-up. Approximately 20% of male offenders reported partner violence perpetration and 30% reported victimization with bidirectional violence as the most common configuration of couple violence. Maladaptive responses to conflict were prevalent across partners. Significant and highly correlated reductions in aversive behaviors were detected across the assessment period for both males and their female partners. Results are interpreted within the context of motivational models of female-to-male partner violence and current treatment approaches.

Risk factors of violence during a 4-week period in a psychiatric outpatient population.

The clinical impact of structured risk assessment instruments has been limited by a lack of information regarding a) their short-term accuracy and b) the relationship between change as measured by the instrument and a change in the risk for harm. Data were collected every 4 weeks on a) variables designed to resemble the items of a structured risk assessment instrument, b) substance use, c) social circumstances and mental state, and d) violent behavior. Scores on the variables designed to resemble the items of a risk assessment instrument were associated with violence during the ensuing 4 weeks. However, an increase in a subject's score on these variables was not associated with violence. Instead, increasing cocaine use and increasing social conflict as described by the subject at interview were associated with violence during those weeks.

The association between phencyclidine use and partner violence: an initial examination.

The association between phencyclidine (PCP) use and violent behavior is unclear. The current investigation evaluated the association between PCP addiction and intimate partner violence, a specific violent behavior, using the substance abuse evaluations of 109 PCP, 81 cannabis, and 97 polysubstance (alcohol and cannabis) abusing offenders. Relative to both comparison groups, PCP users were more likely to receive inpatient referrals, have a significant legal history, and have perpetrated past-year general and intimate partner violence. Data suggest that PCP use may be associated with greater violence perpetration than cannabis use alone or in conjunction with problematic alcohol use.

Treatment of co-occurring alcohol dependence and perpetration of intimate partner violence: the role of anger expression.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of high self-reported anger on violence and substance use across treatment. Seventy-three, alcohol-dependent males, with a domestic violence arrest within the past year, completed baseline anger measures and engaged in a 12 week cognitive behavioral therapy or 12 step facilitation group. Monthly assessments of substance use and violence were completed. At baseline, participants high on anger expression reported more physical violence in the prior month and more violent arrests. Participants high on anger expression had a greater proportion of positive breathalyzers across treatment, higher frequency of reported drug use across treatment, and higher reported frequency of verbal violence at discharge. These findings suggests that participants who are high on anger expression may need longer-term or more intensive treatments to maintain gains made during treatment because of the increased risk of relapse to both substance use and violence.

Relationship status acceptance, alcohol use, and the perpetration of verbal aggression among males mandated to treatment for intimate partner violence.

Forty substance using, male offenders of intimate partner violence completed measures of alcohol use and relationship status acceptance during a pretreatment screening session. They also completed a measure of verbal aggression after each month of a 12-week intervention program. Treatment length, heavy episodic drinking, and relationship status acceptance were used to assess the frequency of verbal aggression at each of the four assessment periods in a repeated measures ANCOVA. Main effects were detected for both alcohol and acceptance variables such that greater verbal aggression was observed among participants with a recent history of heavy episodic drinking and failure to accept the status of the relationship with their female victim. The interaction between time in treatment and relationship status acceptance was significant and showed that participants who accepted their relationship status reported low verbal aggression across measurement occasions while those who did not accept their relationship status reported high initial verbal aggression that decreased over treatment.

Parenting of men with co-occurring intimate partner violence and substance abuse.

No studies to date have compared parenting behaviors of men with co-occurring intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance abuse (SA) with community controls. This study was designed to document mediators of differences in parenting behavior of fathers and the emotional-behavioral problems of their children for men with co-occurring SA and IPV. The self-reported parenting (negative, positive and coparenting behaviors) and the child emotional-behavioral problems of 43 fathers with children aged 2 to 6 years with a recent history of SA + IPV were compared to a sample of 43 community control fathers with the same socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Fathers completed measures on their parenting behavior with a target child, coparenting behavior with the child's mother, emotion regulation, romantic attachment, psychiatric symptoms, and the behavior of the target child. Men with co-occurring SA + IPV had significantly less positive coparenting and more negative parenting behaviors than community control fathers. Negative parenting and coparenting were mediated by the fathers' avoidant attachment problems. SA + IPV fathers also reported more emotional and behavioral problems in their children. These poor child outcome differences between groups were mediated by the negative parenting behaviors of the fathers. These results suggest areas of potential focus in interventions with fathers who have co-occurring SA + IPV issues. Focus on attachment difficulties with his coparent, which may include affect regulation, coping with emotions, and communication skills training related to coparenting, may yield significant changes in parenting behaviors and ultimately child functioning.