Main and Moderating Effects of Temperament Traits on the Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Hazardous Alcohol Use in a Sample of Young Adult Women

Objective: Hazardous alcohol use is a common problem among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), although not all women who experience IPV exhibit hazardous alcohol use. Recent research has suggested that 1 factor that may influence hazardous alcohol use is temperament, although this has not yet been examined in the context of IPV. Method: In this study, we examine the main and moderating effects of temperament traits (constraint, negative emotionality, and positive emotionality) on the association between IPV and hazardous alcohol use in a sample of young adult women (N = 654) using a Bayesian approach to multiple linear regression. Results: Results indicated that each temperament trait incrementally predicted hazardous alcohol use over and above the effects of IPV and other negative life events. Results further indicated that both negative emotionality and positive emotionality moderated the influence of IPV on hazardous alcohol use such that IPV was positively associated with hazardous alcohol use at high levels of these traits but not at low levels. Conclusions: Study findings extend previous research on the effects of temperament traits to the context of IPV, underscoring the importance of including temperament in the assessment of IPV survivors.