Examining the relationships among hyperarousal, alcohol use, and intimate partner violence: A daily diary study

Alcohol use and hyperarousal symptoms were examined in relation to intimate partner violence (IPV). Daily assessments of alcohol use, hyperarousal symptoms, and IPV were collected electronically for a six week period from a sample of male and female college undergraduates. Two level hierarchical linear models were constructed and data were analyzed using HLM 6.06 (Student Edition). Results indicate that daily hyperarousal symptoms significantly predict daily alcohol use and daily IPV perpetration. In addition, exploratory analyses indicate that only the anger symptom in hyperarousal predicted IPV perpetration. Implications of the current study and suggestions for future research are discussed