Risk Factors for Misconduct in a Navy Sample

Abstract

Understanding antisocial behavior and organizational misconduct is an important objective, because these maladaptive behaviors are disruptive and costly to organizations and to society as a whole. The objective of this study was to identify psychosocial risk factors for misconduct and antisocial behavior in a sample of Navy personnel. A group of sailors (n = 158) who had engaged in significant misconduct were compared with a demographically similar group of sailors (n = 288) who had not engaged in misconduct and who were in good standing with the Navy. The psychosocial variables that emerged as the most important risk factors for antisocial behavior were alcohol use (odds ratio [OR] = 2.42), high impulsivity (OR = 2.20), high trait hostility (OR = 1.79), and antisocial behavior of friends (OR = 1.65). Active duty enlisted Navy men and women served as respondents. All study participants were drawn from the Navy Region Southwest Transient Personnel Unit (TPU), located at Naval Station San Diego. The TPU's mission is to provide administrative and legal processing of Navy service members for both nonadverse and adverse reasons. The TPU is made up of two branches, administrative and disciplinary. Individuals assigned to the administrative branch of the TPU are in good standing with the Navy. In contrast, individuals in the disciplinary branch of the TPU have engaged in significant antisocial behavior or misconduct, which has caused them to be removed from their duty station and to be sent to the TPU for legal processing and/or separation. Most, but not all, individuals who are sent to the disciplinary TPU will not return to their prior duty station but will be discharged from the Navy under "other than honorable" conditions. The implications of these results for the military and for research on antisocial behavior are discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA520839

Entities

People

  • David L. Alderton
  • Gerald E. Larson
  • Robyn Highfill-mcroy
  • Stephanie Booth-Kewley
  • William L. Farmer

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Crime
  • Criminals
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Human Behavior
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Military Personnel
  • Personality Disorders
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • Risk Factors
  • Social Psychology
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Surveys

Readers

  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Naval Personnel Management
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.