'Curious Conversations' podcast: Meagan Brem talks about alcohol use and intimate partner violence
Meagan Brem joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to discuss the intersection of alcohol use and intimate partner violence, highlighting the importance of understanding the causal relationship between the two.
She debunked common myths, identified current knowledge gaps, and shared insights from ongoing studies. She also described the unique challenge of understanding these topics as they relate to LGBTQ+ populations and possible interventions on both societal and individual levels.
About Brem
Brem is assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and the director of the Research for Alcohol and Couple’s Health Lab at Virginia Tech. Her research examines targetable factors that moderate the risk of alcohol use leading to intimate partner/sexual violence, particularly among those who are at high risk of problematic drinking and violence.
Takeaways
- Excessive alcohol use meets all of the epidemiological criteria for causality for intimate partner violence, but current interventions often overlook this relationship.
- Being intoxicated creates a sort of “tunnel vision” in which a person can only process the most salient cues in their environment. This can come at the expense of processing other cues that might dissuade violence.
- In general community samples of non-treatment seeking couples, it is more likely than not that both couples experience both victimization and perpetration of intimate partner violence.
Learn more
Meagan Brem and team receive grant to study alcohol-fueled acts of violence among intimate partners
Meagan Brem: Unraveling the link between alcohol and relationship violence
Summit shares work guiding sexual violence prevention strategic plan
Virginia Tech resources
Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education
CARES (Campus Advocacy, Resources, and Education for Survivors) Program
Women's Center at Virginia Tech
Hokie Wellness’ Alcohol Resources
The Virginia Tech Recovery Community
About the podcast
"Curious Conversations" is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life. Produced and hosted by Travis Williams, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Office of Research and Innovation, university researchers share their expertise and motivations as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures. New episodes are shared each Tuesday.
