Synergy Effect of Childhood Maltreatment: When Problematic Alcohol Use and Impulsive Emotional Dysregulation Predict Dating Aggression Perpetration

Childhood maltreatment, problematic alcohol use, and impulsive emotion dysregulation are related to dating aggression (DA) perpetration in young adulthood. This present study investigates the association of problematic alcohol use and impulsive emotion dysregulation with sexual, physical, and psychological DA perpetration in young adulthood after consideration of experiencing sexual, physical, or psychological childhood maltreatment. We employed a moderation analysis on a diverse sample of 475 participants (75% women; 30% sexual minorities and 5.4% gender minorities) aged between 18 and 30 (M = 22.88; SD = 3.62) from the United States. The Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory measured different types of DA. Participants completed measures on sexual, physical, and psychological childhood maltreatment as well as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Evidence exists for the cyclic patterns of maltreatment, as those individuals with a childhood maltreatment history, problematic alcohol use, and impulsive emotion dysregulation were at greater risk for DA perpetration. However, experiencing one specific type of childhood maltreatment (i.e., sexual, physical, or psychological) did not increase risk of perpetrating the same type of DA. Consistent with prior research and theoretical frameworks on DA perpetration, individuals with a childhood maltreatment history, more problematic alcohol use, and impulsive emotion dysregulation were at greatest risk for perpetrating psychological DA. Partially in line with social learning theory, abusive experience may contribute to responding to situations with maltreatment as a learned behavior in later romantic relationships.