Effects of Social Support and Resilient Coping on Violent Behavior in Military Veterans

Abstract: Violence toward others has been identified as a serious post-deployment adjustment problem in a
subset of Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans. The current study examines the intricate links
between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), commonly cited psychosocial risk and protective
factors, and violent behavior using a national randomly selected longitudinal sample of Iraq and
Afghanistan era U.S. veterans. A total of N=1090 veterans from 50 U.S. states and all U.S.
military branches completed two waves of self-report survey data collection one year apart
(retention rate=79%). History of severe violence at Wave 1 was the most substantial predictor of
subsequent violence. In bivariate analyses high correlations were observed among risk and
protective factors, and between risk and protective factors and severe violence at both time
points. In multivariate analyses, baseline violence (OR=12.43, p<.001), baseline alcohol misuse
(OR=1.06, p<.05), increases in PTSD symptoms between Waves 1 and 2 (OR=1.01, p<.05), and
decreases in social support between Waves 1 and 2 (OR=.83, p<.05) were associated with
increased risk for violence at Wave 2. Our findings suggest that rather than focusing specifically
on PTSD symptoms, alcohol use, resilience or social support in isolation, it may be more useful
to consider how these risk and protective factors work in combination to convey how military
personnel and veterans are managing the transition from wartime military service to civilian life,
and where it might be most effective to intervene.