Alcohol-aggression expectancies and dispositional aggression moderate the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related violence

摘要

Alcohol consumption increases aggression, but only in some drinkers. This study examines how expectancies for alcohol-induced aggression and dispositional aggression moderate the link between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related violence, building on previous studies that have employed limited measures of alcohol-related violence and included few women. A sample of 212 men and women reported their alcohol consumption, alcohol-aggression expectancies, dispositional aggression, and incidents of alcohol-related aggressive acts. Alcohol-aggression expectancies and quantity of alcohol consumed interacted to predict alcohol-related aggression. Alcohol-aggression expectancies covaried with alcohol-related aggressive acts, particularly in heavier drinkers. Dispositional aggression also correlated with alcohol-related aggression among heavier drinkers. These results help identify that alcohol might increase aggression only among heavy drinkers who expect alcohol to increase aggression or who are dispositionally aggressive.