Citation

Booth-Kewley S, Larson GE, Highfill-McRoy RM, Garland CF, Gaskin TA. Aggressive Behav. 2010; 36(5): 330-337.

Affiliation

Behavioral Science and Epidemiology Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California 92106, USA. stephanie.kewley@med.navy.mil

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ab.20355

PMID

20626042

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with antisocial behavior in 1,543 Marines who deployed to combat zones in support of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan during 2002-2007. Five factors were associated with antisocial behavior in multivariate analyses: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, deployment-related stressors, combat exposure, younger age, and being divorced. PTSD symptoms had a stronger association with antisocial behavior than any other variable. A unique and important finding of this study was the association between deployment-related stressors and a higher incidence of antisocial behavior. Because deployment-related stressors are potentially modifiable, the military may be able to address them in concrete ways such as by shortening deployments and improving communication with home.

Language: en