Abstract
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.
Highlights
An imbalance between testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels has been proposed as a marker of propensity to violence [1]
Groups differed in Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (t35 = 2.79, p = 0.008, d = 0.94) and MCMI-III (t35 = 4.51, p = 0.000, d = 1.52) scores, with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators obtaining higher scores for alcohol consumption than controls
Is baseline T/C ratio associated with anger expression index in IPV perpetrators? Does high alcohol consumption mediate this association?
Summary
An imbalance between testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels has been proposed as a marker of propensity to violence [1]. As a consequence T levels in men increase and promote the onset of violent behavior, an effect which, in turn, diminishes their sensitivity to punishment or fear, and involvement in high risk behaviors such as high alcohol intake [1,2,3]. Comparing violent with non-violent social drinkers, the former were found to have higher T levels [4], and T levels have been shown to increase after low-level acute alcohol intake [5]. Sustained higher T levels were reported in alcoholic men with no history of violence during the first week of abstinence compared to controls [6]. Similar results were found in monkeys, the administration of exogenous T increasing alcohol related-aggression [7]
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