Traumatic Stress Disorder and Violent Behavior

• NCJ Number: 135647
• Journal: Journal of Traumatic Stress Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: (1990) Pages: 203-220
• Date Published: 1990
• Author(s): J L Collins; S L Bailey
• Length: 18 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01-MH34895; 86-15-CX-0034
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

A sample of 1,140 male felons recently incarcerated in North Carolina was used to examine the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and subsequent violent behavior in nonveterans. Data were obtained from DSM-III diagnoses, North Carolina Department of Corrections records, and criminal history records collected from the State Bureau of Investigation.

Abstract

Only 26 of the inmates in this sample were diagnosed as having PTSD. The findings show a relationship between PTSD and its symptoms and arrest and incarceration for expressive violence when demographic, antisocial personality, and problem drinking are controlled. For most of those inmates who experienced at least one PTSD symptom and had an arrest history for incidents of expressive violence, the symptom preceded or occurred in the same year as the violence arrest. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that PTSD symptoms are etiologically relevant to the occurrence of violence. 4 tables and 33 references