Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39180131›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2024

Problematic anger among military personnel after combat deployment: prevalence and risk factors.

Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand, Frederick Anyan, Hans Jakob Bøe, Odin Hjemdal, Laura Katherine Noll, Jon Gerhard Reichelt, David Forbes, Amy B Adler

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Andreas Espetvedt NordstrandJoint Medical Services, Institute of Military Psychiatry, Norwegian Armed Forces, Grev Wedels plass 2, Oslo, 0015, Norway. a.e.nordstrand@gmail.com.
Frederick AnyanDepartment of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
Hans Jakob BøeJoint Medical Services, Institute of Military Psychiatry, Norwegian Armed Forces, Grev Wedels plass 2, Oslo, 0015, Norway.
Odin HjemdalDepartment of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
Laura Katherine NollDepartment of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University (NAU), Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
Jon Gerhard ReicheltJoint Medical Services, Institute of Military Psychiatry, Norwegian Armed Forces, Grev Wedels plass 2, Oslo, 0015, Norway.
David ForbesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Amy B AdlerWalter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProblematic anger, characterized by excessive frequency, intensity, and duration of anger which causes substantial emotional distress and functional interference, poses a marked challenge in military populations. Despite its importance, research on this topic is limited. This study contributes to the literature by exploring problematic anger in a large sample of Norwegian military personnel who served in NATO missions in Afghanistan.

methodsAll Norwegian military personnel who deployed to Afghanistan between 2001 and 2020 were sent a link to a cross-sectional web-based survey by the Joint Medical Services of the Norwegian Armed Forces in 2020. A total of 6205 individuals (response rate: 67.7%) participated. The cross-sectional survey assessed problematic anger, mental and physical health, war zone stressor exposure, and quality of life.

resultsOverall, 8.4% of participants reported problematic anger. Mental health disorders, deployment-related shame and guilt, chronic pain, and challenges with the military-to-civilian transition were independently associated with problematic anger. Both staying in service and maintaining a part-time connection with the military as a reservist mitigated the risk of problematic anger after deployment, compared to complete separation from military service.

conclusionFindings demonstrate a sizeable prevalence of problematic anger among veterans of combat deployments. Given the associations between problematic anger and mental health disorders, chronic pain, and transition challenges, interventions designed to mitigate problematic anger need to be multi-faceted, including the possibility of maintaining an ongoing connection to military service. By reducing the risk of problematic anger, occupational, interpersonal and health outcomes may be improved for service members. Future research should examine the impact of problematic anger on adjustment over time, prevention strategies, and problematic anger in other high-risk occupations.

Indexed as

Afghan Campaign 2001-AngerMilitary DeploymentMilitary PersonnelAdultChronic PainCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGuiltHumansMaleMental DisordersMiddle AgedNorwayPrevalenceQuality of LifeAngerChronic painMental healthMilitaryTransitionVeterans

Identifiers

PMID39180131
PMCPMC11344415

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.