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November 24, 2014 at 5:33 pm

Shorey Gets Award for Research on Alcohol, Marijuana Use and Dating Violence

Dr. Ryan Shorey, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Ohio University, received the Deborah L. Rhatigan Early Career Award for Excellence in Violence Research from the Child Maltreatment and Interpersonal Violence Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

Dr. Ryan Shorey

Dr. Ryan Shorey

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies held its 48th annual convention Nov. 20 to 23 in Philadelphia.

The award recognizes an outstanding, peer-reviewed publication during the past year that makes an important contribution to violence research, prevention or treatment.

Shorey was the lead author of a journal article on “The temporal relationship between alcohol, marijuana, angry affect, and dating violence perpetration: A daily diary study with female college students” published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Abstract: Although a robust literature documents a positive association between alcohol and intimate partner violence (IPV), there is limited temporal research on this relation. Moreover, the role of marijuana in influencing IPV has been mixed. Thus, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the temporal relationship between alcohol and marijuana use and dating violence perpetration. A secondary aim was to examine whether angry affect moderated the temporal relation between alcohol and marijuana use and IPV perpetration. Participants were college women who had consumed alcohol in the previous month and were in a dating relationship (N = 173). For up to 90 consecutive days, women completed daily surveys that assessed their alcohol use, marijuana use, angry affect (anger, hostility, and irritation), and violence perpetration (psychological and physical). On alcohol use days, marijuana use days, and with increases in angry affect, the odds of psychological aggression increased. Only alcohol use days and increases in angry affect increased the odds of physical aggression. Moreover, the main effects of alcohol and marijuana use on aggression were moderated by angry affect. Alcohol was positively associated with psychological and physical aggression when angry affect was high, but was unrelated to aggression when angry affect was low. Marijuana use was associated with psychological aggression when angry affect was high. Findings advance our understanding of the proximal effect of alcohol and marijuana use on dating violence, including the potential moderating effect of angry affect on this relation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)

The Child Maltreatment and Interpersonal Violence Special Interest Group provides an opportunity for ABCT members with interests related to child physical and sexual abuse, neglect, psychological abuse, intimate partner violence, elder abuse, and sexual violence to network and exchange ideas about current research and clinical issues in these areas. In addition to fostering professional relationships, this group seeks to: 1) promote research and empirically-based interventions addressing the many facets of child maltreatment and interpersonal violence; 2) facilitate the dissemination of research findings to help professionals address the needs of those impacted by child maltreatment and interpersonal violence, and; 3) increase professional and societal awareness of issues related to maltreatment and violence.

Shorey’s research program examines intimate partner violence, particularly violence between dating college couples. He focuses heavily on evaluating and testing theoretical models of dating violence in an effort to gain a clearer understanding of how to develop prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing these harmful behaviors. His research has demonstrated the temporal relationship between substance use and dating violence, such that dating violence perpetration is more likely to occur on drinking days relative to non-drinking days. Moreover, his research has demonstrated that proximal negative affect increases the odds of dating violence perpetration; that numerous factors are related to the perpetration of dating violence (e.g., emotion regulation deficits, trait mindfulness, anger management); that psychological aggression may result in reinforcing consequences for perpetrators, thus increasing the risk for future violence; and that social support may help reduce the mental health consequences of dating violence for victims.

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