Objective: Despite growing evidence that the marital problems typically attributed to heavy drinking are stronger for couples in which only one partner is a heavy drinker than in couples in which both partners are heavy drinkers, relatively little research has examined factors that may serve to maintain particular drinking configurations. The current research examines the association between the configuration of partners' drinking and relationship-specific alcohol expectancies.
Method: Data are from an ongoing prospective study examining the effect of alcohol on executive cognitive functioning. Participant couples (n = 251) represented one of four drinking groups: concordant heavy drinkers (n = 68), heavy drinking husband (n = 79), heavy drinking wife (n = 35), and concordant abstainers/light drinkers (n = 69). As part of the study, participant couples completed a measure of relationship-specific alcohol expectancies through the mail.
Results: Analyses reveal that wives demonstrate greater intimacy/openness expectancies in the concordant heavy drinking group than in the other three groups, as predicted. Unexpectedly, husbands demonstrate greater intimacy/openness expectancies if either member of the couple is a heavy drinker. Additionally, couples reported stronger sexual enhancement, power/assertion, and social pleasure/fun expectancies when the wife was a heavy drinker and stronger power/assertion expectancies when the husband was a heavy drinker.
Conclusions: Relationship-specific alcohol expectancies are differentially associated with the configuration of partners' drinking patterns. Wives' drinking status appears to influence relationship-specific alcohol expectancies to a greater extent than husbands' drinking status. Additional research is needed to determine the long-term effect of these associations.