Violence more likely among vets, troops: study

The research found that merely being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan made no difference in rates of violent crime later on. Instead, a key predictor was violent behavior before enlisting. Combat duty also raised the risk, as did witnessing traumatic events during deployment or misusing alcohol afterward. Still, the vast majority — 94 percent — of British military staff who return home after serving in a combat zone don't commit any crimes, researchers told reporters at a briefing.

The study found little difference in the lifetime rates of violent offenses between military personnel and civilian populations at age 46 — 11 percent versus almost 9 percent. Among younger men, however, being in the military seemed to make a difference: Nearly 21 percent of the military group under age 30 had a conviction for a violent offense in their lifetime compared to fewer than 7 percent of similarly aged men in the general population, according to British crime statistics.

“The problem is that some of the qualities you want in a soldier are the same ones that get people arrested for violent behavior,” said Walter Busuttil, director of medical services for Combat Stress, a British veterans' charity that was not part of the study. Busuttil said many of those recruited into the army are from disadvantaged backgrounds where violence is more common.

The research was published online Friday in the journal Lancet. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London looked at data from more than 13,800 UK military personnel and veterans and compared that to records of violent crimes ranging from verbal threats to assaults and homicides. Some people were followed for up to seven years. Nearly 1,500 women were included, though they were mostly in noncombat roles.

Combat Experience Heightens Risk

Deirdre MacManus, the study's lead author, said combat experience seemed to matter when they compared violent crime rates among military personnel. “Being deployed in itself wasn't a risk factor for violent offenses but being exposed to multiple traumas, like seeing someone get shot, increased the risk by 70 to 80 percent,” she said, compared to someone who hadn't witnessed such a harrowing ordeal.

The study found that those in combat roles were more than 50 percent more likely than those in noncombat roles to commit assaults or threaten violence after returning.

Researchers said other studies have made similar findings.

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