J. B. Kingree

The Roles of Victim and Perpetrator Alcohol Use in Intimate Partner Violence Outcomes

Alcohol use increases the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet little research has examined its role in victimization outcomes (e.g., physical injury, police reporting). This study examined the roles of perpetrator and victim incident-specific alcohol use in IPV outcomes. The sample included 501 men and 1,756 women who had experienced an IPV physical assault. Logistic regression analyses showed that after controlling for relevant covariates, women whose partners had been drinking were significantly more likely to be injured than were women whose partners had not been drinking. A woman’s own alcohol use was unrelated to victimization outcomes. Men were significantly more likely to report the incident if their partners had been drinking but were marginally less likely to report if they had been drinking. Findings suggest that perpetrators’ incident-specific alcohol use is important in understanding which victims are most likely to be injured and report the incident to the police.

A Prospective Mediational Model of Sexual Aggression Among College Men

Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the authors examined prospective associations of attitudes, norms, and control with sexual aggression (SA) perpetration 1 year later among male college students. Data were collected from 652 males via confidential, self-report surveys at the end of their 1st and 2nd years in college. Results indicated that attitudes conducive to SA and perceived norms supportive of SA were associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in SA 1 year later, and mediated the associations of some established risk factors for SA. The findings identify potentially changeable risk factors for perpetrating SA and can thus contribute to the foundation on which to build theoretical and empirically based prevention programs.

Child Maltreatment and Recidivism among Adolescent Detainees

Many studies have examined predictors of recidivism among adolescent detainees. A recent meta-analysis of these predictors indicated that child maltreatment is associated with recidivism. This study expanded on prior work on this topic by using a well-validated self-report instrument to assess abuse and neglect experiences. Results revealed that emotional neglect predicted recidivism during a 6-month follow-up period. Implications and limitations of the findings as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

Fraternity Membership and Sexual Aggression: An Examination of Mediators of the Association

Abstract Objective: This prospective study examined attitudes (ie, hostility toward women, acceptance of rape myths), peer influences (ie, peer pressure to have sex, peer approval of forced sex), and risky behaviors (ie, high-risk alcohol use, number of sexual partners) as possible mediators of the association between fraternity membership and sexual aggression. Participants: The sample included 424 males recruited as freshmen from a large state university in the southeastern United States. Methods: Respondents completed survey measures in their first, second, and third years of enrollment at the university. Results: Path analyses revealed that the prospective effect of fraternity membership on sexual aggression was mediated by high-risk alcohol use. Conclusions: The findings indicate that high-risk alcohol use accounts for much of the association between fraternity membership and sexual aggression.

The development and initial evaluation of the survey of readiness for alcoholics anonymous participation.

This article presents 5 studies related to the development and initial evaluation of the Survey of Readiness for Alcoholics Anonymous Participation (SYRAAP). The SYRAAP is a brief, multidimensional, self-administered instrument that assesses beliefs associated with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) participation. Study 1 generated 239 candidate items for potential inclusion in the instrument. Study 2 assessed the content validity of these items according to 3 criteria and identified a subset of 60 with the highest values on the criteria for further consideration. Study 3 produced a shorter version of the SYRAAP and evaluated its structure, internal reliability, and validity. Study 4 reevaluated the structure and internal reliability of the SYRAAP and yielded findings that were generally consistent with those from Study 3. Study 5 established stability reliability for the instrument. The collective findings indicated the SYRAAP can reliably and validly assess individual-level beliefs associated with AA participation. The potential use of the SYRAAP for researchers and clinicians, along with limitations of the work presented here, are discussed.

School Predictors of Violent Criminality in Adulthood Findings From a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study

School-related problems such as poor academic performance, truancy, frequent suspensions, and grade repeating have been identified as risk factors for adolescent behavior problems. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of school-related factors on violent criminality in adulthood, based on data from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health. Logistic regression analyses indicated that behavioral variables (i.e., truancy, suspensions) and academic variables (i.e., grade retention and grades) significantly improved the prediction of criminal offending. The strongest predictor of violent criminal behavior in adulthood was repeating a grade at the secondary level. Practice implications are presented.

Sexual victimization, negative cognitions, and adjustment in college women.

OBJECTIVES To determine if negative cognitions accounted for the associations of sexual victimization with depression and alcohol-related problems among first-year college women. METHODS Data were collected from 719 first-year college females. Structural equation modeling was used to test if negative cognitive schemas mediated the links between sexual victimization and 2 outcomes. RESULTS Sexual victimization was related to higher levels of depression and alcohol-related problems, and negative cognitions partially accounted for these associations. Whether or not the incident happened in a dating context did not impact on cognitions. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that preventing negative cognitions might help offset adverse consequences associated with sexual victimization.

Participation in alcoholics anonymous and post-treatment abstinence from alcohol and other drugs

BACKGROUND This study examined associations between two types of AA participation (i.e., meeting attendance, having a sponsor) and two types of post-treatment abstinence (i.e., abstinence from alcohol, abstinence from drugs). METHOD Respondents completed measures that assessed their demographic characteristics, the severity of their substance use, and their motivation to change when they enrolled in treatment (T1). They completed measures of AA participation at T1 and a 3-month follow-up assessment (T2), and measures of recent abstinence at T1 and a 6-month follow-up assessment (T3). RESULTS T2 sponsor was associated prospectively with T3 abstinence from alcohol. CONCLUSIONS Having a sponsor served as a marker for subsequent abstinence. Future research can examine factors that may mediate or moderate the associations between having a sponsor and subsequent abstinence.

A Comparison of Risk Factors for Alcohol-Involved and Alcohol-Uninvolved Sexual Aggression Perpetration

Much research has found that alcohol use is associated with sexual aggression (SA) perpetration among male college students. To increase understanding of this association, the present study examined whether other established risk factors for SA perpetration in this population were associated differentially with incidents that were preceded by alcohol use and incidents that were not preceded by alcohol use. The sample included 638 male college students who completed self-report measures of seven risk factors and SA perpetration during their first and second years of enrollment at a large, public university in the southeastern United States. A multivariate, multinomial logistic regression model revealed none of the seven factors increased risk for both alcohol-involved and alcohol-uninvolved SA perpetration. The model did identify binge drinking as a risk factor for alcohol-involved SA perpetration and impulsivity, rape myth attitudes, and hostility toward women as risk factors for alcohol-uninvolved perpetration. If these results can be replicated, then they would suggest that different risk factors should be targeted to optimize the effect of preventive interventions on the occurrence of the two types of SA perpetration.

Demographic Differences in Substance Use Problems Among Juvenile Delinquents

This article presents two studies that used community-based, national samples of adolescents to compare demographic differences between delinquent and nondelinquent respondents. Results indicated that ethnic differences in alcohol problems were similar in the delinquent and nondelinquent groups, with whites reporting higher levels of alcohol problems. In contrast, age differences were smaller among delinquents than nondelinquents, which pointed to a heightened risk for both alcohol and marijuana problems among younger delinquents. Future research can explore biological and psychosocial factors that increase risk for substance problems among younger delinquents.