Faculty Collaboration Database

Alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence perpetration among college students: the role of self-determination. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2010 Jan;71(1):78-85

Date

01/29/2010

Pubmed ID

20105417

Pubmed Central ID

PMC2815066

DOI

10.15288/jsad.2010.71.78

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-76449112200 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   40 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The present research examined the role of self-determination theory in alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among college students. We were interested in evaluating the extent to which individual differences in self-determination (i.e., autonomous and controlled orientations) may influence problematic alcohol use and male-to-female IPV perpetration and the extent to which problem drinking may mediate the associations between self-determination and IPV perpetration.

METHOD: A total of 313 incoming heterosexual, male freshman drinkers at a large northwestern university between the ages of 18 and 21 years completed self-report measures of autonomous and controlled orientations, alcohol use, and IPV perpetration as part of a larger social norms intervention study. Analyses evaluated the influence of autonomous and controlled orientations on alcohol consumption, associated problems, and IPV perpetration.

RESULTS: The proposed model fit the data relatively well, chi(2) (11, N = 313) = 32.19, p = NS, root mean square error of approximation = .079, normed fit index = .95, nonnormed fit index = .93, comparative fit index = .96. Both autonomous and controlled orientations had significant direct and indirect effects on perpetration through alcohol consumption. Although the model fit the data well, it explained a relatively small amount of variance in both alcohol consumption (5%) and perpetration (7%).

CONCLUSIONS: Findings support previous research implicating the role of alcohol in IPV perpetration. Additionally, our findings suggest that self-determination theory may be a useful heuristic in the examination of individual characteristics that promote alcohol consumption and IPV perpetration.

Author List

Hove MC, Parkhill MR, Neighbors C, McConchie JM, Fossos N

Author

Mary Christina Hove MD Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Alcohol Drinking
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Personal Autonomy
Sexual Partners
Students
Universities
Violence
Young Adult