The present study examined the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES), childhood maltreatment, and the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala between the ages of 25 and 36 years. Previous work has linked both low SES and maltreatment with reduced hippocampal volume in childhood, an effect attributed to childhood stress. In 46 adult subjects, only childhood maltreatment, and not childhood SES, predicted hippocampal volume in regression analyses, with greater maltreatment associated with lower volume. Neither factor was related to amygdala volume. When current SES and recent interpersonal stressful events were also considered, recent interpersonal stressful events predicted smaller hippocampal volumes over and above childhood maltreatment. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed a significant sex by childhood SES interaction, with women’s childhood SES showing a significantly more positive relation (less negative) with hippocampus volume than men’s. The overall effect of childhood maltreatment but not SES, and the sex-specific effect of childhood SES, indicate that different forms of stressful childhood adversity affect brain development differently.

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A small number of veterans commit crimes and become involved in the criminal justice system. Emerging literature identifying empirically supported risk factors suggests that both general (i.e., sociodemographic and mental health) and veteran-specific (e.g., traumatic brain injury [TBI] and combat exposure) factors are associated with veteran aggression and criminal justice involvement. Yet, there is little exploration of risk factors for police contact in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding how combat exposure, PTSD, and other factors common among veterans are or are not related to police contact is critical to inform preventative interventions. The current study examined the associations among sociodemographic, mental health, deployment-related factors, and recent police contact in a sample of veterans with PTSD (N = 100) recruited for a larger study on suicide risk. The impact of general (i.e., age, education, income level, substance use) and veteran-specific (i.e., PTSD symptoms, TBI, and combat exposure) factors on past 6-month police contact was examined using a logistic regression model. Only younger age was independently associated with police contact. However, a history of TBI had a trending association (p , .10). In contrast to the literature, combat exposure and PTSD symptom severity were not associated with police contact. The findings suggest initial prevention efforts should focus on younger veterans and those with a history of TBI.

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