Brian M. Quigley

Mediating Effects of Blame Attributions on Feelings of Anger

Two structural equation models are presented to examine the relationship between anger and blame. In the first model, attributions of blame mediate the relationship between feelings of anger and attributions concerning the provokers intentions to harm, his or her justification in harming, and the amount of harm done. In the second model, anger and blame exist in a reciprocal relationship. The self-reports of 158 individuals concerning an incident in which they had been harmed were analyzed using LISREL VIII. Both models showed satisfactory fit to the data; however, on the basis of theory and past research, the second model is proposed as more acceptable. Additional analyses demonstrated that interactional injustice was the most often reported type of injustice and that men were more likely to be reported as the offender than women. Implications of the research are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.

Does Alcohol Make a Difference? Within-participants Comparison of Incidents of Partner Violence

Episodes of husband-to-wife violence in which the husband consumed alcohol were compared with episodes of husband-to-wife violence, reported by the same individuals, in which the husband was not drinking. Among this community sample of newly-weds, wife reports, but not husband reports, indicated that violent episodes in which the husband was drinking included more acts of violence and were more likely to involve severe violence. Both wife and husband reports indicated that wives were more likely to be physically aggressive in husband drinking episodes compared to sober episodes. However, whereas wives reported that their aggressive behavior was a response to husband aggression, husbands reported that wives were more likely to initiate violence in these episodes. Violent episodes that include alcohol may be more severe and more mutually violent than sober episodes. Discrepancies between husband and wife reports may reflect differences in recall or self-serving biases.

Physical Aggression in the Lives of Young Adults Prevalence, Location, and Severity Among College and Community Samples

This study estimated the 1-year prevalence and location of observing and experiencing threat and aggression among two random samples of young adults. A community sample and a college sample completed a phone survey concerning how often they had observed physical aggression, experienced a verbal altercation, or were the target or the initiator of aggression. About 25% of women and 33% of men had experienced aggression in the preceding year. One of the primary locations was in or around a bar. For the most severe episode, the most common location was in or around a bar for men and in their own home for women. Experience with threats and aggression is common among young adults. Understanding criminal violence and peoples fear of violence necessitates addressing this pandemic level of aggression in our society.

Desistance of husband aggression in the early years of marriage.

Desistance of husband marital aggression was investigated over a 3-year time span. One hundred and eighty-eight couples who had experienced husband aggression in the first year of marriage were followed to the third year of marriage. Overall 23.9% of these husbands had no violence in years 2 and 3. However, desistance rates differed as a function of the type of violence that occurred in year 1. Husbands who had only one incident of minor physical aggression and no severe violence in year 1 were most likely to desist in years 2 and 3 while those who used severe violence in year 1 were least likely to desist. Subsequent analyses showed that wife’s depression and dissatisfaction with the partner increased from years 1 to 3 when desistance did not occur.

A further comment on the construct validity of laboratory aggression paradigms: A response to Giancola and Chermack

Giancola and Chermack responded to our criticisms of laboratory paradigms for studying aggression by arguing that two existing laboratory procedures circumvent the problems raised, and they provide evidence for the validity of these procedures. We argue that Giancola and Chermack do not succeed in their defense of existing paradigms for both conceptual and methodological reasons.

Desired image of power, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol-related aggression

Three hundred thirty-nine college students were surveyed regarding their usual drinking behavior, alcohol expectancies, desired identity of power, and experience with alcohol-related violence. Eight percent indicated having been in a fight in a bar, and 16% indicated having been in a fight while drinking in the previous year. Male heavy drinkers were more likely than female heavy drinkers to experience alcohol-related and bar violence. The belief that intoxication causes one to become aggressive was related to experiencing alcohol-related violence. However, the relationship of alcohol expectancies to alcohol-related aggression was moderated by an individual difference in the desire to be seen as powerful. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive models of alcohol expectancy development and maintenance.

Longitudinal Moderators of the Relationship Between Excessive Drinking and Intimate Partner Violence in the Early Years of Marriage

Alcohol problems are one of the most well-established risk factors for physical intimate partner violence. Nonetheless, most individuals who drink heavily do so without ever aggressing against a partner. Laboratory research identifies hostility as an important moderator of the association between alcohol and general aggression, and correlational research suggests that stress and coping may also be important moderators of the alcohol-aggression link. Building on this research, the authors examined hostility, coping, and daily hassles as moderators of the associations between excessive drinking and intimate partner violence across the first 4 years of marriage in a sample of 634 newly married couples. Excessive drinking was a significant cross-sectional correlate, but it did not emerge as a unique longitudinal predictor of intimate partner violence perpetration in this sample. However, alcohol was longitudinally predictive of husband violence among hostile men with high levels of avoidance coping. Findings generally supported the moderation model, particularly for men. These findings implicate hostility, coping, and daily hassles, as well as alcohol, as potentially important targets for partner violence prevention strategies for young married couples.

The ties that bind: perceived social support, stress, and IBS in severely affected patients

Background  This study assessed the association between social support and the severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms in a sample of severely affected IBS patients recruited to an NIH‐funded clinical trial. In addition, we examined if the effects of social support on IBS pain are mediated through the effects on stress.

Thirty years of research show alcohol to be a cause of intimate partner violence: Future research needs to identify who to treat and how to treat them

Research over the past 30 years has demonstrated that excessive alcohol use meets all of the epidemiological criteria for causality. While neither a necessary nor a sufficient cause, excessive alcohol use does contribute to the occurrence of partner violence and that contribution is approximately equal to other contributing causes such as gender roles, anger and marital functioning. Current theories of how excessive drinking results in partner violence provide a potentially valuable framework with respect to who should be targeted for interventions with respect to alcohol-related partner violence and what those interventions should address.

Sensation-seeking, performance genres and substance use among musicians:

Popular cultural imagery has long assumed that musicians routinely use both licit and illicit substances for recreational purposes, to enhance creativity or to cope with the vicissitudes of an artistic lifestyle. To date, however, there has been little empirical examination of the presumed links between drugs and musical performance. In this analysis, we examined relationships among personality, musical performance genres, and the use of substances both licit (tobacco and alcohol) and illicit (marijuana and other drugs). Drawing on self-report survey data from a sample of 226 Western New York professional and amateur musicians, we used hierarchical regression analyses to test the simultaneous effects of sensation-seeking and performance genres on eight substance use outcomes, controlling for gender, age, race, and ethnicity. All forms of substance use were positively associated with sensation-seeking. Substance use outcomes were positively associated with Intense/Rebellious genres (e.g., rock) and to a lesser extent with Energetic/Rhythmic genres (e.g., rap/hip-hop), but negatively associated with Upbeat/Conventional genres (e.g., pop) and Reflective/Complex genres (e.g., jazz). The relationships between performance genres and both smoking and alcohol use were gender-specific.