Deployment and the probability of spousal aggression by U.S. Army soldiers.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between length of soldier deployment and self-reports of moderate and severe spousal violence.


METHODS
The Conflict Tactics Scale was used to measure self-reports of behaviors exhibited in marital conflict. Surveys were administered to a 15% random sample of 26,835 deployed and nondeployed married active duty U.S. Army men and women in the 50 United States during the period 1990 to 1994. Multinomial logistic regression and ordered probit analysis were used to estimate the probabilities of moderate and severe violence by length of deployment.


RESULTS
After controlling for demographic variables, the probability of severe aggression was significantly greater for soldiers who had deployed in the past year compared with soldiers who had not deployed.


CONCLUSIONS
Deployment contributes a significant but small increase to the probability of self-reported spousal aggression during a 1-year period. Although deployment is a military operation, similar effects may be observed in certain civilian occupations.
McCarroll
James E
JE
Family Violence and Trauma Project, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
Ursano
Robert J
RJ
Liu
Xian
X
Thayer
Laurie E
LE
Newby
John H
JH
Norwood
Ann E
AE
Fullerton
Carol S
CS