Dating Violence Victimization and Alcohol Problems: An Examination of the Stress-Buffering Hypothesis for Perceived Support

Recent evidence suggests that victims of dating violence consume alcohol at greater rates than their nonvictimized peers, placing them at risk for the negative consequences produced by alcohol use. Thus, research that examines factors that protect victims from consuming alcohol is needed. Toward this end, the present study sought to examine whether perceived support served as a stress-buffering (moderating) variable on the relationship between dating violence victimization and alcohol problems among a sample of currently dating college students (N = 440). Partial support was found for the stress-buffering effect of perceived support, but this varied depending on the type of victimization examined. Implications of these findings for victim interventions and dating violence prevention programming are discussed.