Husband alcohol expectancies, drinking, and marital-conflict styles as predictors of severe marital violence among newlywed couples

The prospective effects of husband drinking, husband alcohol expectancies, and couple's marital-conflict style on husband alcohol-related aggression a nd severe violence in the 1st year of marriage were examined. Drinking pred icted alcohol-related aggression, but husband's expectancy that alcohol cau ses aggression did not. Alcohol expectancies did predict severe Violence in the marriage; however, the husband's belief that alcohol causes aggression was negatively related to the amount of severe violence. Alcohol expectanc ies interacted with marital conflict such that high amounts of severe viole nce were associated with men in high conflict marriages who did not have th e expectancy that alcohol causes aggression. Additionally, in high conflict marriages, husband drinking was related to the amount of severe violence. Results are discussed in terms of alcohol-expectancy measures tapping gener al constructs of tolerance and attitudes toward antinormative behavior.