Attending to Anger
Abstract
Anger and aggression are common in military populations, with a high impact on the individual and their surroundings. Violent offending is frequently reported in US military personnel after deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. An image of short-tempered veterans is picked up easily by the media, leading to public debate. Research into prevalence of psychological symptoms shows that about6.6% of the Dutch military personnel deployed to Afghanistan develop problems with anger. Therefore, the Dutch Ministry of Defense decided to gather information concerning these difficulties, in order to find markers for the prevention and treatment of anger and aggression. To this aim, this dissertation is focused on the prevalence and trajectories of the development of anger problems after military deployment and on the neurobiological background of anger and aggression in military personnel.