Alcohol Abuse Mediates the Association between Baseline T/C Ratio and Anger Expression in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators

Behavioral Sciences

Ángel Romero-Martínez¹  Marisol Lila²  Luis Moya-Albiol¹ 

[1] Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Avenida Blasco Ibañez, Valencia 21 46010, Spain; E-Mail:;Department of Social Psychology, University of Valencia, Avenida Blasco Ibañez, Valencia 21 46010, Spain; E-Mail:

关键词: alcohol;    anger expression;    intimate partner violence;    testosterone/cortisol ratio;   

DOI  :  10.3390/bs5010113

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The imbalance between testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels has been proposed as a possible marker of risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). Moreover, it could be related to a high probability of adopting risky behaviors such as alcohol abuse which, in turn, promotes the onset of IPV. This study tested the potential mediating effect of alcohol consumption on the relationship between baseline T/C ratio and anger expression in IPV perpetrators and non-violent controls. Alcohol consumption was higher in the former than controls. A high baseline T/C ratio was only associated with high anger expression in IPV perpetrators, and this association was mediated by high alcohol consumption. Thus, alcohol abuse may act as a catalytic factor in this relationship, high consumption promoting the onset of IPV. These findings contribute to the development of effective treatment and prevention programs, which could introduce the use of biological markers for preventing the onset, development and recidivism of IPV.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.