Involvement in alcohol-related verbal or physical aggression. Does social status matter?
Sammanfattning
NTRODUCTION -The analyses (1) assessed the association between social status variables and
aggression when controlling for volume of alcohol consumption and episodic heavy drinking (EHD),
(2) tested whether social status moderates the association between volume or EHD and verbal as
well as physical aggression, and (3) investigated whether EHD moderates the effect of volume on
aggression. METHODS - Swedish Alcohol Monitoring Survey (2003 to 2011); N=104,316 current
drinkers; response rate: 51 to 38%. Alcohol-related aggression was defined as involvement in a
quarrel or physical fight while drinking. Social status was defined as the highest education, monthly
income and marital status. RESULTS - The associations between social status variables and
aggression showed mixed results. Verbal aggression was associated with education in males and
with marital status in both genders. Physical aggression was associated with education in both
genders. No associations with aggression were found for income. With few exceptions, these
associations remained significant when controlling for drinking patterns; social status did not
moderate the association between drinking and aggression; EHD moderated the effect of volume on
physical aggression in males. CONCLUSIONS - Groups of lower educated and nonmarried individuals
experience verbal or physical aggression over and above different levels of consumption. Individual
differences in aggression vulnerability rather than differences in aggression predisposition account
for higher risks of aggression in these groups.