Child abuse, aggression, and spirituality in veterans treated for combat-related PTSD

A number of studies have highlighted the prevalence of child abuse in military recruits and veterans; however, research evaluating the relationship between child abuse and aggression in combat related PTSD veterans is inconsistent and sparse. For example, some authors have suggested that an abuse history contributes to the relationship between aggression and PTSD in veterans; yet, other authors have not been able to corroborate this finding. There are a few studies that have evaluated the relationship between CPA/CSA and spirituality in PTSD veterans and these studies too have yielded discrepant results. For instance, some authors have reported a decrease in spiritual practices for veterans with a CPA/CSA history while others have noted an increase in spiritual behaviors. While these results are contradictory, they illustrate that the veterans' spirituality has been affected by the abuse. In an attempt to expand the research base, this study will assess CPA/CSA epidemiology and it will report characteristics of the CSA perpetrators in a sample of 472 male inpatient PTSD combat veterans. Additionally, this study will assess the relationships between CPA/CSA and aggression and CPA/CSA and spirituality. Results are hypothesized to illustrate that CPA/CSA veterans will have higher aggression when compared to veterans without an abuse history. It is also suspected that a relationship will exist between spirituality and CPA/CSA history.