Abstract
Given that romantic partners are often the first to identify their partners’ alcohol-related problems, we sought to ascertain the perceptual processes that contribute to partner perceptions of an individual’s alcohol-related problems and whether these processes systematically differ across gender. We assessed couples’ (N = 168) perceptions of their own and their partners’ alcohol-related problems. A dyadic multilevel model guided by the truth, and a bias model of judgement was conducted with gender as a moderator. Perceivers were accurate in their estimations of their partners’ alcohol-related problems. However, men significantly underestimated their partners’ alcohol-related problems. Perceivers showed greater accuracy in their perceptions of their partners’ alcohol-related problems when they themselves reported more alcohol-related problems compared to when they reported fewer alcohol-related problems. Partners’ biased perceptions may limit the identification of at-risk individuals. Future research should investigate the individual and couple-based consequences of accurate and biased perceptions of alcohol-related problems.
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Notes
Following the completion of the first week, data collection was shifted to online surveys from home to increase recruitment and participant retention in cohort 2 but remained in-lab for cohort 1.
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This study was funded by a [masked for review] grant awarded to the last author. The first author is supported through a [masked for review], the second author through a [masked for review], the fifth author through a [masked for review] at the time of data collection, and the last author through a [masked for review]. The authors thank [masked for review] for their research assistance.
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Rossi, M.A., Clow, L., Rosen, N.O. et al. A Dyadic Investigation of Perceptions of Romantic Partners’ Problematic Alcohol Use. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00952-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00952-5