Associations among personality, combat exposure and wartime atrocities

Objective: The commission of wartime atrocities is a phenomenon known to occur among military personnel deployed to war zones. Although some research has examined the psychological sequelae to these events, there is virtually no research on the causes or correlates of such behavior. The present study examined associations among personality variables, combat exposure, and witnessing or participating in wartime atrocities during the Vietnam War. Method: One thousand one hundred and four Army and Marine veterans of the Vietnam War completed self-report measures that assessed personality, combat exposure, and participation in atrocities. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model in which combat exposure mediated the association between personality and participation in atrocities. Results: Combat exposure was strongly associated with self-reported participation in atrocities and fully mediated the association between trait aggression and participation in atrocities. Combat exposure was also shown to partially mediate the association between trait neuroticism and atrocities but evidenced no relationship with trait disconstraint. Disconstraint showed only a direct association with participation in atrocities. Conclusions: Personality and exposure to heavy combat should be considered not only risk factors for physical or mental illness, but also important risk factors for the commission of atrocities. Longitudinal research on risk factors for the commission of atrocities is needed, with a focus on those service members tasked with more dangerous assignments. Military commanders may wish to pay close attention to units under greater combat stress and to continue to devote resources to screening and treatment of members of these units.