Aggressive and impulsive behavior in military psychiatric inpatients

To determine if a history of aggressive/impulsive behavior adversely affected the return to full duty of a military psychiatric inpatient population.

Charts were reviewed for aggressive/impulsive behavior as indicated by self-report on a standardized admission form and by history in 211 consecutive admissions pooled from two separate 2-month intervals during a 9-month period.

Seventy-three percent of the population was between the ages of 17 and 24 years. Sixty-eight percent of the population reported a history of at least one school suspension/expulsion, arrest, or military nonjudicial punishment (males, 74%; females, 45%). Seven percent of patients reporting aggressive/impulsive behavior were returned to full duty unconditionally, compared with 28% of patients not reporting said behavior. Eighteen percent of patients met the criteria for adult antisocial behavior. Only one patient with adult antisocial behavior was returned to full duty.

This study found that a history of aggressive/impulsive behavior was positively correlated with substance abuse and negatively correlated with return to full military duty.