Elsevier

Comprehensive Psychiatry

Volume 28, Issue 5, September–October 1987, Pages 403-411
Comprehensive Psychiatry

Criminal behavior and post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans

https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-440X(87)90057-5Get rights and content

Abstract

When a sample of Vietnam veterans who has been incarcerated in the state prisons of Iowa were compared with a sample of Vietnam veterans from the community, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was found to be roughly the same, 39% and 37%, respectively. Ratings of combat stress to which these veterans had been exposed were also similar, although high combat stress was associated with the development of PTSD in both groups. On the other hand, a greater proportion of veteran inmates were found to have antisocial personality disorder with an onset prior to military service. Thirty-six percent met criteria for antisocial personality compared to 7% of the control group. Alcohol and drug abuse were also identified more frequently among incarcerated veterans, particularly those with PTSD. In no instance was a direct relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder and crimes leading to imprisonment observed. The findings indicate that, although aggressive tendencies may result from combat exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder does not have an important causal relationship to felonious behavior.

References (14)

  • RS Laufer et al.

    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reconsidered: PTSD among Vietnam veterans

  • LC Kolb

    The post-traumatic stress disorders of combat: A subgroup with a conditioned emotional response

    Milit Med

    (1984)
  • JS Frye et al.

    Discriminant analysis of posttraumatic stress disorder among a group of Vietnam veterans

    Am J Psychiatry

    (1982)
  • A Engendorf et al.
  • A Kardiner
  • T Yager et al.

    Some problems associated with war experience in men of the Vietnam generation

    Arch Gen Psychiatry

    (1984)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (41)

  • Criminal recidivism among justice-involved veterans following substance use disorder residential treatment

    2020, Addictive Behaviors
    Citation Excerpt :

    For example, substance use and psychiatric severity have both been linked to criminal justice involvement in veterans (Blonigen, Bui, Elbogen, Blodgett, & Maisel, 2016; Blonigen, King, & Timko, 2019). Regarding the latter, symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are more common among incarcerated than non-incarcerated veterans (Black et al., 2005; Shaw, Churchill, Noyes, & Loeffelholz, 1987), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was found to be associated with post-deployment arrests in a national sample of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (Elbogen et al., 2012a). Poor social support, including lack of peer support for quitting alcohol and drugs, is an established predictor of SUD treatment outcomes in veterans (Moos, 2007) and has been shown to predict past-year aggression among Iraq/Afghanistan returnees (Elbogen et al., 2012b).

  • Military experience helps setting reasonable personality characteristics but does not alter the criminal behavior-related impression of negative parental experience and alcoholism in a Chinese population

    2016, Psychiatry Research
    Citation Excerpt :

    Numerous recent studies have examined war-precipitated problems in veterans (e.g., from the 1991 Gulf War, the Boer War, World War II, the Vietnam War, and peacekeeping operations), such as posttraumatic stress symptoms and unexplained physical symptoms (Black et al., 2005; Copeland et al., 2005; Eisen et al., 2005; Jones et al., 2003; McFall et al., 2005; Newby et al., 2005). With regard to criminal behavior of war veterans, it has been reported that although combat exposure may augment aggressive tendencies, being afflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder does not appear to be a significant predictor of felonious behavior (Shaw et al., 1987). Additionally, a study observed that deployment was not a significant predictor of domestic violence in the early period of deployment (Newby et al., 2005).

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text