NIH-funded research R21 grant

How couples' social networks relate to alcohol-related partner aggression in low-income communities

Official title: Duocentric Social Networks and Alcohol-Related Intimate Partner Aggression among Couples from Low-Income Communities

Funded at Arizona State University-Tempe Campus · NIH-11170509 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This project looks at whether couples' in-person and online social connections change the link between drinking and partner aggression for couples from low-income communities.

More Aggression research and trials

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionArizona State University-Tempe Campus
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Scottsdale, United States)
Project startAugust 15, 2024
Project endJuly 31, 2026
Funding year2025
Award (this year)$200,529
NIH project number5R21AA031736-02
Project IDNIH-11170509 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Adult couples living in low-income communities who can both consent and answer questions about drinking, relationships, and their social contacts are ideal candidates.

Less likely to help

People who are not in a partnered relationship, who live outside the study area, or who need immediate safety interventions for severe ongoing partner violence are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participation.

What this research studies

You and your partner would each answer questions about your drinking, any experiences of aggression, and the people you interact with both face-to-face and online. The research team will map each partner's social network and the ways those networks overlap or stay separate. By enrolling 200 couples from low-income communities, researchers will test whether social isolation or perceived social norms in different network types relate to alcohol-related aggression. The goal is to spot social patterns that might help protect couples or increase risk.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Results could highlight social-support or community-level approaches that help prevent alcohol-related partner aggression.

How similar studies have gone: Prior research has clearly linked alcohol to partner aggression and shown social context matters, but using dyadic social-network mapping to predict alcohol-related IPA is a relatively new approach.

Where this research is happening

  • Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
    Scottsdale, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Hammett, Julia Friederike — Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
  • Study coordinator: Hammett, Julia Friederike

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.