Publication year
2012
Citation Title
Criminal justice involvement, trauma, and negative affect in Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans.
Journal Name
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Journal Volume
80
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
1091-1102
DOI
10.1037/a0029967
Summary
Self-report survey data were used to examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, anger and irritability, as well as criminal justice involvement among Veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Results indicate that PTSD and irritability were associated with criminal involvement among this sample of Veterans.
Key Findings
Veterans with PTSD and high irritability were most likely to have a criminal arrest after returning from deployment.
Veterans who were young and male, came from troubled family backgrounds, abused substances, or had criminal backgrounds were at higher risk of breaking the law.
Nine percent of participants reported arrests since returning from military service.
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop courses for Service members that provide strategies for resolving negative affect, such as anger and irritability
Offer classes for military families regarding ways to de-escalate emotional situations and how to best support the Service member coping with PTSD symptoms
Disseminate information regarding the impact of PTSD on emotional and behavioral outcomes
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend training for program staff working with Service members and their families regarding de-escalating tense situations (high anger, irritability)
Recommend Service members are regularly assessed for persistent, debilitating negative affect (e.g., anger) postdeployment
Continue to support programs and services that work with Service members and their families who are coping with PTSD symptoms are issues with the criminal system
Methods
This study was part of the National Post-Deployment Adjustment Survey using a random sample of Veterans who served on or after September 11, 2001 and were separated from Active Duty or served in the Reserves or National Guard.
Possible participants were drawn by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs Environmental Epidemiological Service (EES) in May 2009 from a random selection of a roster developed by Defense Manpower Data Center of over one million veterans who served in the U.S. military on or after September 11, 2001.
Participants completed a paper or online survey that asked questions about criminal justice involvement, demographics, combat experiences, drug and alcohol abuse, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.
Participants
One thousand three hundred and eighty-eight Veterans completed the survey (67% male). A weight-adjusted N = 1,102 was used to make the proportion of women (16%) comparable to U.S. Military.
Seventy percent of participants were White, and the mean age was 36.2 years.
Fifty-two percent were Army, 18% Air Force, 16% Navy, 13% Marines; 52% were Active Duty and 27% had multiple deployments.
Limitations
All measures were self-report and may result in over or underreporting of symptoms or arrest history.
The data were cross-sectional and causal conclusions can not be drawn.
Military experiences and mental health status of non-responders is unknown and may differ from responders; data could be biased.
Avenues for Future Research
Evaluate the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing anger and irritability in Service members to lower the risk of criminal involvement
Investigate how these symptoms (e.g., anger, irritability, PTSD) change over time and how they impact long-term involvement in the justice system
Continue to explore the different pathways to criminal arrests among Service members to better treat and reduce the risk of criminal involvement
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
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.
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