Appetitive Aggression in Women: Comparing Male and Female War Combatants

Appetitive aggression refers to positive feelings being associated with the perpetration of violent behavior and has been shown to provide resilience against the development of PTSD in combatants returning from the battlefield. Until this point, appetitive aggression has been primarily researched in males. 

This study investigates appetitive aggression in females. Female and male combatants and civilians from Burundi were assessed for levels of appetitive aggression. In contrast to non-combatants, no sex difference in appetitive aggression could be detected for combatants. Furthermore, each of the female and male combatant groups displayed substantially higher levels of appetitive aggression than each of the male and female civilian control groups. 

This study demonstrates that in violent contexts, such as armed conflict, in which individuals perpetrate numerous aggressive acts against others, the likelihood for an experience of appetitive aggression increases- regardless of whether the individuals are male or female.

Below:  Mean AAS sum scores in males and females with and without combat experience. Bars represent standard error

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By:  Meyer-Parlapanis D1, Weierstall R1, Nandi C1, Bambonyé M2, Elbert T1, Crombach A3.

• 1Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz (http://www.uni-konstanz.de/en/welcome/) Konstanz, Germany.
• 2Department of Clinical Psychology, Université Lumière, Bujumbura, Burundi.
• 3Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology, Université Lumière, Bujumbura, Burundi. 

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Appetitive Aggression & Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape Violent Behavior in Females Formerly Associated with Combat

This study investigated the impact of violent experiences during childhood, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and appetitive aggression on everyday violent behavior in Burundian females with varying participation in war. Moreover, group differences in trauma-related and aggression variables were expected. 

Appetitive aggression describes the perception of violence perpetration as fascinating and appealing and is a common phenomenon in former combatants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 158 females, either former combatants, supporters of armed forces or civilians during the civil war in Burundi. The PTSD Symptom Scale Interview was used to assess PTSD symptom severity, the Appetitive Aggression Scale to measure appetitive aggression and the Domestic and Community Violence Checklist to assess both childhood maltreatment and recent aggressive behavior. 

Former combatants had experienced more traumatic events, perpetrated more violence and reported higher levels of appetitive aggression than supporters and civilians. They also suffered more severely from PTSD symptoms than civilians but not than supporters. The groups did not differ regarding childhood maltreatment. Both appetitive aggression and childhood violence predicted ongoing aggressive behavior, whereas the latter outperformed PTSD symptom severity. 

These findings support current research showing that adverse childhood experiences and a positive attitude toward aggression serve as the basis for aggressive behavior and promote an ongoing cycle of violence in post-conflict regions. Female members of armed groups are in need of demobilization procedures including trauma-related care and interventions addressing appetitive aggression.

Below:  Differences between the three groups regarding (A) childhood violence, (B) traumatic event types, (C) perpetrated event types, (D) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and (E) appetitive aggression.  ^∗p < 0.05, ^∗∗p < 0.01, ^∗∗∗p < 0.001.

Full article at:  http://goo.gl/SvzMAl

By:  Mareike Augsburger,1,* Danie Meyer-Parlapanis,1 Manassé Bambonye,2 Thomas Elbert,1,2 and Anselm Crombach1,2

¹Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany

²Department of Psychology, University Lumière, Bujumbura, Burundi

Edited by: J. P. Ginsberg, Dorn VA Medical Center, USA

Reviewed by: Eric C. Porges, University of Florida, USA; Michelle Dow Keawphalouk, Harvard–MIT, USA

*Correspondence: Mareike Augsburger, ed.znatsnok-inu@regrubsgua.ekieram

This article was submitted to Psychology for Clinical Settings, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology

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The Influence of Military Sexual Trauma on Returning OEF/OIF Male Veterans

Military sexual trauma (MST) encompasses experiences of sexual harassment and/or assault that occur during active duty military service. MST is associated with postdeployment mental health, interpersonal, and physical difficulties and appears to be more influential in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than other active duty experiences, including combat, among women veterans. 

Although some literature suggests that men who experience MST also evidence significant postdeployment difficulties, research in this area is lacking. The current study evaluated a large sample of returning male veterans (N = 961) who served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Veterans were referred for treatment in a trauma and anxiety specialty clinic at a large VA hospital. 

Of this sample, 18% reported MST perpetrated by a member of their unit. Results indicated veterans who reported MST were younger, less likely to be currently married, more likely to be diagnosed with a mood disorder, and more likely to have experienced non-MST sexual abuse either as children or adults. 

Analyses revealed that MST was negatively associated with postdeployment social support and positively associated with postdeployment perceived emotional mistreatment, but was not associated with postdeployment loss of romantic relationship, job loss, or unemployment after statistically controlling for other trauma exposures and current social support. 

Results reflect the detrimental associations of MST on male veterans and the need for more research in this area. These findings also highlight the need for treatment interventions that address social and interpersonal functioning in addition to symptoms of depressive disorders

Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/unIFbM

By: Mondragon SA1, Wang D1, Pritchett L1, Graham DP1, Plasencia ML1, Teng EJ1.

• 1Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.  

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