Neurocognitive Performance Predicts Future Partner Violence Among U.S. Iraq- and Afghanistan-deployed Army Soldiers and Veterans

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2022

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Chiu, C., Gnall, K., Pless Kaiser, A., Taft, C. T., Franz, M. R., Lee, L. O., & Vasterling, J. J. (2022). Neurocognitive performance predicts future partner violence among U.S. Iraq- and Afghanistan-deployed army soldiers and veterans. Psychology of Violence. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000408

Rights

©American Psychological Association, 2022. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000408
Access to this item will begin on 03/31/2023

Subjects

Abstract

Objective: Intimate partner violence (IPV) constitutes a major U.S. national health concern and disproportionately affects military families. Prior research, which has been conducted primarily in civilian populations, suggests that relative neurocognitive weaknesses may increase risk for IPV. This prospective study examined the associations between post-deployment neurocognitive performance and subsequent IPV (5 - 13 years later) among warzone veterans in the context of psychological health and TBI. Method: Participants were 217 warzone veterans from a nationally-dispersed sample of service members and veterans who had previously deployed to the Iraq war zone and their intimate partners. Warzone veterans had previously completed performance-based neurocognitive assessments at a post-deployment assessment. An average of eight years later, participants completed structured psychiatric interviews and psychometric surveys assessing TBI history, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol use, and IPV perpetration. Results: Regression analyses revealed that relatively greater psychopathology and history of TBI were significantly associated with more frequent warzone veteran IPV psychological perpetration. Further, relatively poorer post-deployment neurocognitive performance predicted higher subsequent psychological and physical IPV perpetration, adjusting for demographics, psychological health, and TBI. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of identifying both psychological/behavioral and neurocognitive correlates of IPV among warzone veterans. An integrative understanding of IPV risk can help inform both IPV prevention and treatment efforts for warzone veterans.