RESEARCH

The REACH Lab investigates the co-occurrence of alcohol use and intimate partner violence (IPV), including psychological, cyber, physical, and sexual IPV/sexual assault. Our long-term goal is to translate theoretically- and empirically-derived mechanisms of alcohol-related intimate partner violence/sexual assault into accessible, efficacious prevention and intervention programming. We leverage intensive longitudinal methods, such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and daily diary designs, to answer the question, "what is happening in the days, hours, and moments before drinking episodes and IPV/sexual assault perpetration that may be targeted in interventions to reduce future alcohol-related IPV events?" We aim to optimize EMA methods for detecting and interfering with intra- and interpersonal processes that potentiate alcohol-related IPV/sexual assault. Although most of our research involves EMA, members of our lab also incorporate other methods of data collection to assess alcohol-related IPV, including qualitative interviewing, self- and partner-report, and experimental paradigms. Recently, we began examining individual and couple-level experiences that contribute to sexual orientation disparities seen in alcohol misuse and IPV. Long-term, we aim for this line of our research to contribute to more inclusive alcohol misuse and IPV prevention and intervention programs.

Our research has been funded by internal and external funding mechanisms, including the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA; R21AA030858; R21AA031548), the American Psychological Foundation (Visionary Grant), and various centers at Virginia Tech (e.g., Center for Peace Studies & Violence Prevention; Institute for Society, Culture, & Environment; Whole Health Consortium).

Areas of Interest:

Alcohol/Drug Use
IPV (psychological, cyber, physical, sexual)
Emotion Regulation
Jealousy/Infidelity
Couples
Trauma
Minority stress in relation to alcohol- and IPV-related health disparities

For a complete list of Dr. Brem's publications visit Google Scholar

or ResearchGate