PTSD: Violence

PTSD, Violence

PTSD and Violence

Dangerous misidentification of people due to flashback phenomena in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Silva, J. Arturo; Leong, Gregory B.; Harry, Bruce E.
Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol 43(6), Nov 1998. pp. 1107-1111.
Abstract:
Misidentification of people may occur in the context of visual flashback phenomena associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. People who misidentify someone during a flashback associated with previous war combat experience may perceive and conceptualize the misidentified object as an enemy who may be both feared and disliked. This might make the misidentified objects become the targets of violent attacks by the affected person. In this article, the authors present 5 cases of flashback-induced misidentification of people who were subsequently attacked within the context of the flashback experience. Ss were males (aged 44-53 yrs) who were all involved in combat during the Vietnam War. Ss were treated with various psychotherapeutic methods and drug therapies with varying results. The nature of the misidentification of persons due to flashback experiences is discussed, as is the association between the type of misidentification and aggression.

Aggressive behavior in combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Begic, Drazen; Jokic-Begic, Nataša
Military Medicine, Vol 166(8), Aug 2001. pp. 671-676.
Abstract:
The incidence of aggression and violent behavior in combat veterans varies and can be observed with regard to the presence or absence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study the authors examined violent behavior in 116 male combat veterans (aged 22-45 yrs), 79 of whom had been diagnosed with PTSD. Results show that a significantly greater occurrence of aggression was observed in combat veterans with PTSD compared with those without PTSD. There were various types of aggressive behavior that frequently are combined. Autoaggressive (suicidal) and heteroaggressive (interpersonal violence) behaviors predominate, with dominating verbal aggression and impulsive somatic reactions. Impulsive reactions are more frequently directed toward unknown persons, whereas verbal aggression is mostly aimed at known people. In the occurrence of aggressive behavior in combat veterans with PTSD, important roles are played by education level, low socioeconomic status, maltreatment in childhood, and previous types of violent behavior (before participation in war events). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Violent behaviour and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Begic, Drazen; Jokic-Begic, Natasa
Current Opinion in Psychiatry, Vol 15(6), Nov 2002. pp. 623-626.
Abstract:
Purpose of review: There is a dual connection between violent behaviour and posttraumatic stress disorder. On one hand, exposure to violence leads to post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and on the other hand some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are violent behaviour and aggression. In other words, violence creates post-traumatic stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder contains violence. The frequency of violent behaviour as a background for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder is increasing. Exposure to violence, criminal and terrorist attacks, sexual (especially in early childhood) and physical abuse lead to anxiety, aggression, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Recent findings: Different types of violence and their psychological and psychiatric consequences are now being researched to determine whether there are any differences in exposure to violence and its consequences with regard to age, sex, ethnicity, and sociodemographic characteristics. Apart from the individual and his/her family, the effects of violence on the wider community are being examined. In contrast, the well-described post-traumatic stress disorder, within the frame of increased alertness, can contain violence, aggression, anger, and impulsivity, which are a big problem for the patient and his/her family. These are the most common reasons for requesting psychiatric treatment. Summary: Future research into violent behaviour and post-traumatic stress disorder will reveal the risk factors for this disorder, and try to explain what it is that, after exposing an individual to psychological trauma, leads to post-traumatic stress disorder. Possible protective factors and mechanisms to prevent the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder will be described.

Trauma, PTSD, and the cycle of violence among incarcerated men and women.
Komarovskaya, Irina. U Virginia, US
Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 70(6-B), 2009.
Abstract:
The present study examined the cycle of trauma and violence among incarcerated men and women. It is well established that majority of inmates experience traumatic events in their lives. However, little research is available on the patterns of traumatic exposure among men and women. The goals of the present study were to examine gender differences in the patterns of traumatic events; evaluate the rates of posttraumatic symptoms in the incarcerated population; and to assess the relationships between past traumatic exposure and future violent behavior and victimization in prison. The sample included 266 men and women incarcerated in Ohio prisons of various levels of security. A modified version of Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ, Green, 1996) was used to measure traumatic exposure. A modified version of Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R, Weiss & Marmar, 1997) was used to assess PTSD symptoms. Current violent behavior and victimization in prison were measured by the participants’ self-report on the Prison Violence Inventory (PVI, Warren et al., 2002). The results revealed that male and female inmates show similarly high rates of overall traumatic exposure. Men are more likely to experience such traumas as witnessing harm to others and interpersonal nonsexual trauma (e.g., physical assault), whereas women were more likely to be victimized sexually. Consistent with previous research, women demonstrated higher rates of posttraumatic symptomatology than did men. Past traumatic exposure was found to be a significant predictor of violent behavior and victimization in prison in both genders. Overall, higher rates of trauma and earlier age of onset of trauma was associated with increased violence and victimization in prison, illustrating the cycle of trauma and violence in incarcerated populations. The role of specific trauma-related factors in this cycle is discussed.

The Relationship Between Trauma and Violence in a Jail Inmate Sample.
Neller, Daniel J., et.al.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol 21(9), Sep, 2006. pp. 1234-1241.
Abstract:
Research suggests there is a link between trauma and violence, although the nature of the relationship is rather equivocal. This study explored this relationship by examining self-reported trauma as a predictor of self-reported violence in 93 jail inmates. Ninety-six percent of the sample reported experiencing a traumatic event, and 67% reported having been violent during the year preceding incarceration. Inmates reporting trauma were more than twice as likely to report having been violent than nonviolent. Stepwise multiple regression analyses suggested traumatic events, as a combined model, significantly contributed to violence perpetration. In addition, witnessing serious violence predicted perpetration of violence. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.

Peer and inmate aggression, type D-personality and post-traumatic stress among Dutch prison workers.
Kunst, Maarten J. J., et.al.
Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, Vol 25(5), Dec, 2009. pp. 387-395.
Abstract:
This study investigated the adverse effects of exposure to inmate or peer aggression, type D-personality and their interactions on post-traumatic stress reactions among a sample of prison workers. The basic tenet of type D-personality is that not so much the experience of negative emotions per se is responsible for negative health consequences, but rather the way individuals cope with such emotions. Many studies have revealed diverse adverse health outcomes of type D-personality, particularly among cardiac patients. However, the moderating effect of social inhibition has never been statistically examined in other populations. Participants (111 men, 40 women) were recruited in 10 Dutch correctional institutions. The results showed that victims of aggression are more prone to develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms than non-victims, although this particularly applied to victims of peer aggression. Furthermore, an interaction effect was observed between inmate aggression and type D-personality. Finally, both peer aggression and type D-personality contributed to the development of PTSD. The results were discussed together with recommendations for future research.

Comparing the PTSD rates of gang members to non gang members as reported by probation and correction officers.
Asulyan, Lilit
Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 72(6-B), 2011.
Abstract:
Incarcerated youth, in particular, have often been exposed to extraordinarily high levels of traumatic violence, both within their homes and on the streets of their communities. Gang-involved juveniles, for example, are twice as likely as arrestees overall to have been shot at. The current study sought to compare the PTSD rates of gang members to non gang members as reported by Probation and Correction Officers. To conduct this study, The Los Angeles Symptoms Checklist – Adolescent Version was utilized. The research question and hypothesis were designed to answer whether there was a difference in the symptoms of PTSD for gang members and non gang members as reported by Probation and Correction officers. A two tailed t-test was conducted to compare the PTSD rates of gang members and non gang members as reported by Probation and Correction officers. There was a significant difference in scores for gang members and non gang members. The magnitude of the differences in the means was very large. Future research should survey the gang members and non gang members themselves, instead of surveying the officers that work with them.

Gang membership: Links to violence exposure, paranoia, PTSD, anxiety, and forced control of behavior in prison.
Wood, Jane and Dennard, Sophie.
Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, Vol 80(1), Jan, 2017. pp. 30-41.
Abstract:
Objective: Gang membership inherently links to violence, and violent experiences strongly relate to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and paranoia. Yet to date, gang members’ mental health has received little attention, and their paranoia has not been examined. This study, using established measures, assessed street gang and nongang prisoners’ levels of violence exposure, symptoms of PTSD, paranoia, and anxiety, forced behavioral control, and segregation in prison.
Method: Participants were 65 (32 gang and 33 nongang) prisoners, recruited using opportunity sampling. Participants provided informed consent and were interviewed individually. Interviews were anonymized to maintain confidentiality. Chi-square and discriminant function analyses were used to compare participants’ demographics, segregation levels, mental health symptoms, and to identify predictors of street gang membership.
Results: As compared to nongang prisoners, street gang prisoners have higher levels of exposure to violence, symptoms of paranoia, PTSD, anxiety, and forced control of their behavior in prison. Street gang prisoners were not more likely to be segregated, but they were more likely to belong to ethnic minorities. Street gang prisoners were only found to be younger than nongang prisoners, when other variables were controlled for.
Conclusions: Mental health deserves more attention in gang research. The implications of findings are that gang membership may undermine members’ mental health, and/or that individuals with existing mental health problems may be those attracted to gang membership. Moreover, justice responses, via policies and intervention strategies, need to identify and address the mental health needs in gang member prisoners, if successful rehabilitation of gang members is to be achieved.