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Abstract
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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) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
Language: en |