# Stress, hazardous drinking and intimate partner aggression in a diverse sample of women and their partners

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2022 · $534,547

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Intimate partner aggression (IPA; physical, sexual, psychological) is a serious public health problem that affects more than
one in three women in the United States. Although research on IPA among sexual minority women (SMW; lesbian,
bisexual) is relatively new, research suggests that they may be at greater risk than heterosexual women. Given that alcohol
use is a major contributing factor to IPA in heterosexual couples, and given findings (ours and others') demonstrating that
SMW are substantially more likely than heterosexual women to drink alcohol, drink heavily, and to experience drinking-
related problems, it is likely that alcohol plays an important role in IPA in SMW's relationships. However, there are large
gaps in research on alcohol use and IPA among SMW. IPA research has historically taken a gendered perspective (women
as victims/men as perpetrators) and for the most part has concentrated on either victims or perpetrators, not both. Research
focused simultaneously on SMW and their partners can illuminate how individual- and couple-level factors operate outside
the individualistic and gendered lens in this understudied and vulnerable population—and ultimately lead to culturally
tailored interventions. Guided by a recent extension of the minority stress model to include the relational (couple-level)
context of sexual minority stress, as well as the I3 (I-Cubed) theoretical perspective on IPA perpetration, we propose to
collect individual and dyadic data to better characterize the links between hazardous drinking (HD) and IPA among SMW
and their partners. The proposed project will draw from large and diverse cohort of SMW currently enrolled the Chicago
Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW)—a 19-year prospective study. The CHLEW focuses on understanding
mechanisms linking minority sexual orientation and HD, defined in this study using several indicators such as heavy
drinking, heavy episodic drinking, and intoxication. Specifically, we will recruit CHLEW participants and their partners to
participate in the CHLEW Couples study. Thus, the proposed study offers an efficient and cost-saving opportunity to
recruit a diverse sample that will contribute to understanding and ultimately reducing health disparities between SMW and
heterosexual women. The aims of the project are to (1) examine associations among minority stress, HD and IPA in SMW
and their partners; (2) examine potential mediators and moderators of the associations between minority stress and HD and
IPA; and (3) guided by the I3 (I-cubed) theoretical perspective, test models that include effects of instigating factors (e.g.,
relationship conflict), impelling factors (e.g., minority stress, negative affect, trait anger), and inhibiting (e.g., relationship
commitment, emotion regulation) or dis-inhibiting (e.g., HD) factors on IPA perpetration. This study builds on the
Principal Investigator's unprecedented longitudinal study of SMW's alcohol use and its diverse...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440286
- **Project number:** 5R01AA027252-04
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** TONDA L HUGHES
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $534,547
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-10 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440286

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440286, Stress, hazardous drinking and intimate partner aggression in a diverse sample of women and their partners (5R01AA027252-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440286. Licensed CC0.

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