Examination of Predictors of Severe Violence in Combat-exposed Vietnam Veterans

This study examined several proposed predictors of severe wartime violence in a randomly selected, nationally representative sample of 1,125 Vietnam veterans. Participation in severe acts of violence during wartime was reported by 7.6% of the sample. Disruptive behavior before the age of 15 and increased combat exposure were both significant predictors of severe wartime violence. Childhood contextual factors were indirectly related to severe wartime violence via prewar disruptive behavior. The classification rate of perpetrators of severe violence was comparable to rates from studies of less severe forms of violence. The implications of these results and suggestions for future research in this area are discussed.