Criminal Justice Involvement, Trauma, and Negative Affect in Iraq and Afghanistan War Era Veterans

Autor/inn/en	Elbogen, Eric B.; Johnson, Sally C.; Newton, Virginia M.; Straits-Troster, Kristy; Vasterling, Jennifer J.; Wagner, H. Ryan; Beckham, Jean C.
Titel	Criminal Justice Involvement, Trauma, and Negative Affect in Iraq and Afghanistan War Era Veterans
Quelle	In: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80 (2012) 6, S.1097-1102 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-006X
DOI	10.1037/a0029967
Schlagwörter	Substance Abuse; Psychological Patterns; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Foreign Countries; Military Service; Family Violence; Criminals; Veterans; Law Enforcement; Risk; Stress Variables; Antisocial Behavior; Brain; Injuries; National Surveys; War; Correlation; Multivariate Analysis; Age; Males; Drug Abuse; Afghanistan; Iraq + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Drug use; Drug consomption; Drogenkonsum; Ausland; Militärdienst; Straftäter; Kriegsteilnehmer; Veteran; Gesetzesvollzug; Risiko; Gehirn; Krieg; Korrelation; Multivariate Analyse; Alter; Lebensalter; Male; Männliches Geschlecht; Irak
Abstract	Objective: Although criminal behavior in veterans has been cited as a growing problem, little is known about why some veterans are at increased risk for arrest. Theories of criminal behavior postulate that people who have been exposed to stressful environments or traumatic events and who report negative affect such as anger and irritability are at increased risk of antisocial conduct. Method: We hypothesized veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) who report anger/irritability would show higher rates of criminal arrests. To test this, we examined data in a national survey of N = 1,388 Iraq and Afghanistan war era veterans. Results: We found that 9% of respondents reported arrests since returning home from military service. Most arrests were associated with nonviolent criminal behavior resulting in incarceration for less than 2 weeks. Unadjusted bivariate analyses revealed that veterans with probable PTSD or TBI who reported anger/irritability were more likely to be arrested than were other veterans. In multivariate analyses, arrests were found to be significantly related to younger age, male gender, having witnessed family violence, prior history of arrest, alcohol/drug misuse, and PTSD with high anger/irritability but were not significantly related to combat exposure or TBI. Conclusions: Findings show that a subset of veterans with PTSD and negative affect may be at increased risk of criminal arrest. Because arrests were more strongly linked to substance abuse and criminal history, clinicians should also consider non-PTSD factors when evaluating and treating veterans with criminal justice involvement. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10