Words Matter: A Situational Analysis of Alcohol, Conflicts, and Violence

Past research focused on understanding the effects alcohol has on aggressive behavior. More recently, research has examined the situational context of this relationship to investigate underlying processes that influence it. This research examined whether words issued by disputants affect the way in which alcohol influences violence during conflicts. The data used in this study is from an original survey of inmates and their contacts in the community. Each respondent was asked to describe their behaviors as well as their adversary’s behaviors during a recent violent incident and a recent non-violent incident. I examined the extent to which escalatory and remedial actions condition the relationship between the consumption of alcohol and violence during conflicts. Conducting two separate analyses, I found alcohol consumption to be positively associated with violence during conflicts. When the recipient consumed alcohol threats increased the likelihood of violence during conflicts. Accountability for actions decreased the likelihood of violence during conflicts when the recipient consumed alcohol. Together, the results suggest escalatory and remedial actions condition the effect alcohol has on violence during conflicts. The findings reveal a necessity to expand on situational analyses of actions carried out by disputants that may condition the effect alcohol has on violence during conflicts.