A Test of General Strain Theory: Explaining Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol Use Among Black Women

Using a sample of 291 Black women and a longitudinal study, we explore how general strain theory can broaden our understanding of Black women’s alcohol use and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Results demonstrated that racial discrimination, past IPV and sexual victimization, and family member’s victimization heightened depression, which increased heavy alcohol use. Discrimination and family victimization also elevated anger, leading to greater IPV perpetration. Results further revealed that depression and anger interacted to influence IPV. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers must continue to pursue culturally sensitive practices to effectively address this unique constellation of strains and advocate for the needs of Black women.

Marital Quality and Heavy Alcohol Use Among Older Couples

Supportive marital relationships may reduce partners’ problematic health behaviors, whereas unhappy relationships may lack efficacious spousal monitoring of health and increase the likelihood of using maladaptive coping strategies, such as heavy alcohol use, to deal with relationship problems. We used pooled data from the 2014 and 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to examine how both partners’ perceptions of marital quality were associated with heavy drinking. Our analytic sample included married couples in which both spouses were over age 50, completed the leave-behind psychosocial questionnaire, and provided non-missing data on marital quality and alcohol use (n=2,095 couples). Measures included both positive and negative dimensions of marital quality and controls for sociodemographic, economic, health, household and marital characteristics. Using Proc Glimmix, we estimated a dual-intercept Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), in which separate equations were computed simultaneously for husbands and wives. For husbands, higher negative marital quality was associated with an increase in the odds of their own heavy drinking (OR=1.27), but there was no significant association between wives’ marital quality and husbands’ heavy drinking behavior. For wives, marital quality was not significantly associated with their own heavy drinking, but husbands’ higher ratings of both negative and positive marital quality increased the risk of wives’ heavy drinking (OR=1.60 and OR=1.75, respectively). Results suggest that marital quality is associated with heavy drinking in later life: self-ratings of marital quality matter for men, whereas spousal perceptions of marital quality are more important for women.

Associations of Binge Drinking and Heavy Alcohol Use on Sugar and Fat Intake in a Cohort of Southern People Living with HIV

Aims To assess whether binge drinking and heavy alcohol use are associated with increased sugar and fat consumption among a Southern cohort of people living with HIV (PWH). Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis of PWH enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol use in HIV (NOAH) Study (n = 215). Binge and heavy drinking were identified through a 30-day Alcohol Timeline-Followback and dietary intake was assessed through a 24-hour dietary recall. Results Participants were 65.4% male, 83.3% Black, with a mean age of 49.2 ± 9.9. Heavy drinkers consumed more total calories than abstainers (P = 0.035) and low-to-moderate drinkers (P = 0.024), and binge drinkers consumed more calories than non-binge drinkers (P = 0.025). Binge and heavy drinkers had significantly higher intake of total and saturated fat in grams. However, substantially increased caloric intake among these participants led to non-significant associations for alcohol use with high total and saturated fat intake as a percent of total energy intake (%TEI). Binge drinkers had lower odds of consuming high sugar as a %TEI (odds ratio: 0.31 [0.14, 0.68]). Additionally, sugar intake predicted total and saturated fat intake, and this association was slightly higher among binge drinkers (total fat P-value: 0.12). Conclusions In this population of PWH, while binge and heavy drinking predicted higher caloric and fat intake in grams, binge drinkers were less likely to consume a high-sugar diet. This analysis suggests that interventions focused on reduced alcohol use may be especially beneficial in reducing metabolic disease burden in PWH if supplemented with information on incorporating lower energy-dense foods with reduced fat.

Post-traumatic stress disorder among persons with HIV who engage in heavy alcohol consumption in southwestern Uganda

Background We aimed to describe the prevalence of PTSD symptoms and its associated factors in persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Uganda who engage in heavy alcohol use. Methods We analyzed baseline data from the Drinkers Intervention to Prevent Tuberculosis study which enrolls PLWH with latent tuberculosis who engage in heavy alcohol consumption. Using the primary care Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) screening scale from the DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5), probable PTSD was defined as reporting ≥3 of 5 assessed symptoms. We conducted the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption and assessed demographics, smoking, symptoms of depression, and spirituality/religiosity. Results Of 421 participants enrolled from 2018 through 2020, the majority (68.2%) were male, median age was 40 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 32–47), and median AUDIT-C score was 6 [IQR: 4–8]. Half (50.1%) of the participants reported ever experiencing a traumatic event, and 20.7% reported ≥3 symptoms of PTSD. The most commonly reported PTSD symptoms in the past 1 month in the entire sample were avoidance (28.3%), nightmares (27.3%), and being constantly on guard (21.6%). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, level of alcohol use was not associated with probable PTSD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for each AUDIT-C point: (1.02; 95% CI: 0.92–1.14; p = 0.69); however, lifetime smoking (AOR 1.89; 95% CI: 1.10–3.24) and reporting symptoms of depression (AOR 1.89; 95% CI: 1.04–3.44) were independently associated with probable PTSD. Conclusions and recommendations A history of traumatic events and probable PTSD were frequently reported among persons who engage in heavy drinking, living with HIV in Uganda. Level of alcohol use was not associated with probable PTSD in this sample of PLWH with heavy alcohol use, however other behavioral and mental health factors were associated with probable PTSD. These data highlight the high prevalence of PTSD in this group, and the need for screening and interventions for PTSD and mental health problems.