title: Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity predicts aggression after treatment.
abstract: This study examined the relation between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity and aggression (verbal, psychological, and physical aggression) in a longitudinal dataset. Participants were 175 males in PTSD residential treatment who were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at 4-month follow-up. Post-treatment PTSD severity predicted aggression at post-treatment and 4-month follow-up, adjusting for age, pre-treatment PTSD severity, and pre-treatment aggression. When examining the relation between aggression and specific PTSD symptom clusters, post-treatment Reexperiencing, Avoidance/Numbing and Hyperarousal symptoms predicted aggression at posttreatment and 4-month follow-up. These results support the hypothesis that post-treatment PTSD severity may be an important marker of post-treatment aggression risk and may offer unique information important to clinicians and patients focused on the development and maintenance of adaptive, non-aggressive relationships after intensive PTSD treatment.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Care Evaluation, 152-MPD, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, 795 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States. KerryMB@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Makin-Byrd
authors.forename: Marcel O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Bonn-Miller
authors.forename: Kent
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Drescher
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Timko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012114:Residential Treatment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*