Meagan Brem | Psychology Department

Dr. Brem received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee in 2021 after completing a pre-doctoral internship at the Charleston Consortium/Medical University of South Carolina. Her research examines targetable factors that moderate the risk of alcohol use leading to intimate partner/sexual violence (IPV), particularly among those who are at high risk of problematic drinking and IPV (e.g., heavy drinking young adults, individuals with minoritized sexual identities, trauma-exposed populations). She enjoys leveraging and strengthening ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods that can reveal the moment-to-moment processes through which drinking potentiates IPV. In addition to EMA, Dr. Brem uses other multi-method approaches (e.g., qualitative interviewing, experimental paradigms) to advance the alcohol-IPV field with the goal of translating evidence-based IPV risk and protective factors into efficacious prevention and intervention planning. Dr. Brem's research is funded through various external (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism; R21AA030858; R21AA031548) and internal mechanisms (e.g., Center for Peace Studies & Violence Prevention; Institute for Society, Culture, & Environment; Whole Health Consortium).

Meagan Brem WILL be accepting graduate applications this year (application deadline: Dec. 1, 2024). Note that Virginia Tech's Clinical Science program will host several virtual open houses during Fall 2024; interested applicants are highly encouraged to attend. Please contact Dr. Brem (mbrem@vt.edu) to learn more.

Interests

Intimate Partner Violence
Alcohol Use
Substance Use
Cyber Dating Abuse
Emotion Dysregulation
Jealousy, Anger
Sexual minority stress in relation to drinking/IPV
Couples
Trauma Exposure/PTSD

Recent Courses Taught

PSYC 6254: Adv Topics in Clinical Psychology: Clinical Psychological Assessment
PSYC 5984: Interventions
PSYC 4364: Senior Seminar: Intimate Partner Violence

Select Publications

Brem, M. J., Tobar-Santamaria, A., Shaw, T. J., & Mongan, L. (in press). The proximal association between cyber and in-person IPV among college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Grocott, L. R., Brem, M. J., Brick, L. A., Armey, M. F., Stuart, G. L., & Shorey, R. C. (in press). The feasibility of ecological momentary assessment for assessing intimate partner violence in college students with a history of intimate partner violence perpetration. Psychology of Violence.
Edwards, C., Meier, L., Westerhold, K., Botset, K., Shaw, T., Mongan, L., & Brem, M. J. (2024). Examining the role of forgiveness in the association between trait mindfulness and psychological partner aggression among dating college students. Partner Abuse, 15(2). doi: 10.1891/PA.2023-0014.
Brem, M. J., Wolford-Clevenger, C., Garner, A. R., Edwards, K. M., & Shorey, R. C. (In press). Alcohol use, discrimination, and psychological partner abuse among LGBQ+ college students: Results from a daily diary study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Wolford-Clevenger, C., Mak, I., Botelho, E., Clark, K., & Brem, M. (In Press). External minority stress, gender dysphoria, and capability for suicide among transgender adults: A daily diary study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., Ramsey, S. E., & Stuart, G. L. (in press). Randomized clinical trial examining the efficacy of a brief alcohol intervention as an adjunct to batterer intervention for women arrested for domestic violence. Psychosocial Intervention.
Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., McNulty, J., Elledge, L. C., Temple, J., & Stuart, G. L. (2022). Proximal associations among college students’ alcohol use and cyber partner abuse perpetration. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 36(7), 815-823. doi: 0.1037/adb0000818
Shorey, R. C., Brem, M. J., Kolp, H. M., Glozier, W. K., Norona, J., Baxley, C., Borsari, B., & Stuart, G. L. (2022). Recommendations for affirming brief motivational interventions for sexual minority college student drinking. Addiction Research & Theory, 30(1), 16-24. doi: 10.1080/16066359.2021.1922675
Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., Stuart, G. L., Elledge, L. C., & Temple, J. R. (2022). A longitudinal investigation of dating abuse victimization, alcohol use, and marijuana use among Latinx adolescents. Partner Abuse, 13(1), 1-16. doi: 10.1891/PA-2021-0013.
Garner, A. R., Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., Hamlin, J., & Stuart, G. L. (2022). Negative urgency moderates the association between compulsive sexual behaviors and sending unsolicited sexts among men in residential treatment for substance use disorders. Computers in Human Behavior, 136, 107385. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107385
Brem, M. J., Garner, A. R., Grigorian, H., Florimbio, A. R., Wolford-Clevenger, C., Shorey, R. C., & Stuart, G. L. (2021). Problematic pornography use and physical and sexual intimate partner violence perpetration among men in batterer intervention programs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(11-12), NP6085-NP6105. doi: 10.1177/0886260518812806.
Weiss, N. H., Hogan, J., Brem, M., Massa, A. A., Kirby, C. M., & Flanagan, J. C. (2021). Advancing our understanding of the intersection between emotion regulation and alcohol and drug use problems: Dyadic analysis of couples with intimate partner violence and alcohol use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 228, 1-7.
Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., Anderson, S., & Stuart, G. L. (2020). Dispositional mindfulness and aggression among adults in residential treatment for opioid use disorder: Preliminary findings from an applied setting. Violence and Victims, 35(6), 828-840. doi: 10.1891/VV-D-18-00036.
Brem, M. J., Stuart, G. L., Cornelius, T. L., & Shorey, R. C. (2019). A longitudinal examination of alcohol problems and cyber, psychological, and physical dating abuse: The moderating role of emotion regulation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0886260519876029.
Brem, M. J., Romero, G., Garner, A. R., Grigorian, H., & Stuart, G. L. (2019). Alcohol problems, romantic jealousy, and cyber dating abuse perpetration among men and women: Towards a conceptual model. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0886260519873333.
Brem, M. J., Florimbio, A. R., Grigorian, H., Wolford-Clevenger, C., Elmquist, J., Shorey, R. C., Rothman, E. F., Temple, J. R., & Stuart, G. L. (2019). Cyber abuse among men arrested for domestic violence: Cyber monitoring moderates the relationship between alcohol problems and intimate partner violence. Psychology of Violence, 9(4), 410-418. doi: 10.1037/vio0000130.
Brem, M. J., Khaddouma, A., Elmquist, J., Florimbio, A. R., Shorey, R. C., & Stuart, G. L. (2019). Relationships among dispositional mindfulness, distress tolerance, and women’s dating violence perpetration: A path analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(14), 2996-3016. doi: 10.1177/0886260516664317.
Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., Anderson, S., & Stuart, G. L. (2019). Exploring gender differences in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and compulsive sexual behavior among adults in residential substance use treatment. Mindfulness, 10(8), 1592-1602. doi: 10.1007/s12671-019-01117-7.
Shorey, R. C., Stuart, G. L., Brem, M. J., & Parrott, D. J. (2018). Advancing an integrated theory of sexual minority alcohol-related intimate partner violence perpetration. Journal of Family Violence, 34(4), 357-364. doi: 10.1007/s10896-018-0031-z.
Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., Rothman, E. F., Temple, J. R., & Stuart, G. L. (2018). Trait jealousy moderates the relationship between alcohol problems and intimate partner violence among men in batterer intervention programs. Violence Against Women, 24(10), 1132-1148. doi: 10.1177/1077801218781948.
Brem, M. J., Florimbio, A. R., Elmquist, J., Shorey, R. C., & Stuart, G. L. (2018). Antisocial traits, distress tolerance, and alcohol problems as predictors of intimate partner violence in men arrested for domestic violence. Psychology of Violence, 8(1), 132-139. doi: 10.1037/vio0000088.
Brem, M. J., Wolford-Clevenger, C., Zapor, H., Elmquist, J., Shorey, R. C., & Stuart, G. L. (2018). Dispositional mindfulness as a moderator of the relationship between perceived partner infidelity and women’s dating violence perpetration. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(2), 250-267. doi: 10.1177/0886260515604415.
Brem, M. J., Shorey, R. C., Anderson, S., & Stuart, G. L. (2017). Depression, anxiety, and compulsive sexual behavior among men in residential treatment for substance use disorders: The role of experiential avoidance. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 24, 1246-1253. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2085.
Temple, J. R., Choi, H. J., Brem, M. J., Wolford-Clevenger, C., Stuart, G. L., Peskin, M., & Elmquist, J. (2016). The temporal association between traditional and cyber dating abuse among adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45, 340-349. doi: 10.1007/s10964-015-0380-3.
Brem, M. J., Spiller, L. C., & Vandehey, M. A. (2015). Online mate-retention tactics on Facebook are associated with relationship aggression. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(16), 2831-2850. doi: 10.1177/0886260514554286.

Degrees

PhD University of Tennessee (2021)
MA Midwestern State University (2013)
BA Southwestern University (2010)