Domestic violence and deployment in US Army soldiers.
Although military deployment has been suggested as a possible cause of increases in domestic violence, little is known about it. The purpose of this study was to determine if deployment of 6 months to Bosnia predicted early postdeployment domestic violence. Active duty recently deployed (N = 313) and nondeployed (N = 712) male soldiers volunteered to take an anonymous questionnaire. Deployment was not a significant predictor of postdeployment domestic violence. However, younger soldiers, those with predeployment domestic violence, nonwhite race, and off-post residence also were more likely to report postdeployment domestic violence. The predicted probability of postdeployment domestic violence for a deployed 20-year-old, nonwhite soldier with a history of predeployment domestic violence and who lives on-post was.20. For the soldier without a history of predeployment domestic violence, it was.05. Prevention and intervention programs for postdeployment domestic violence shortly after return should target age and persons with a domestic violence history rather than deployment per se.
McCarroll
James E
JE
Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, USA.
Ursano
Robert J
RJ
Newby
John H
JH
Liu
Xian
X
Fullerton
Carol S
CS
Norwood
Ann E
AE
Osuch
Elizabeth A
EA
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005192:Family Health; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D044469:Racial Groups; D012008:Recurrence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014857:Warfare