Citation

Kennedy L. Aggress. Violent Behav. 2020; 53: e101429.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.avb.2020.101429

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Despite an expansive body of scholarship examining outcomes for military veterans, we remain limited in our ability to draw conclusions regarding the causal relationship between war and post-service interpersonal violence. Specifically, scholars tend to employ cross-sectional study designs and too rarely consider veterans' pre-service lives, including exposure to trauma and barriers to education and employment. This leaves us incapable of determining if subsequent violent behavior is attributable to an aspect of service/combat or to the military's selection process. Moreover, methodological differences make comparisons - and therefore synthesis of results - difficult. In this manuscript, I offer a critical overview of the existing empirical scholarship, discuss some of the methodological limitations common in work in this area, and propose directions for future research. Namely, I advocate for interventions by critical sociologists and criminologists whose work seeks to interrogate processes of criminalization underpinning the 'violent veteran' discussion and illuminate how social context and structural barriers shape the lived experiences of veterans before, during, as well as after service.

Language: en