Examining state emotion regulation as a moderator of the proximal association between intimate partner violence victimization and alcohol use: Results from a daily diary study
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Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV; psychological, physical, and sexual abuse) victimization is prevalent among college women and is linked to alcohol-related problems. Theory and prior data suggest that women may be more likely to drink after IPV if they have difficulty regulating their emotions; yet the moderating effect of daily emotion dysregulation on the proximal IPV-alcohol use association remains unexamined. This study investigated the hypothesis that daily IPV victimization would positively and prospectively associate with same-day alcohol use (any drinking, number of drinks, and heavy episodic drinking [HED]), and that higher levels of daily emotion dysregulation would strengthen this association. College women (N = 161) completed daily reports of emotion dysregulation, alcohol use, and IPV over 60 consecutive days. Multilevel modeling did not support hypotheses. IPV victimization did not significantly associate with odds of subsequent, same-day alcohol use, number of drinks consumed, or HED, regardless of daily emotion dysregulation level. Main effects revealed that daily emotion dysregulation positively associated with alcohol use across all models. The effects of IPV on alcohol use may accumulate over time rather than having a subsequent, proximal effect. Enhancing college women’s ability to regulate emotions may mitigate alcohol use and HED, regardless of women’s IPV experiences.