We describe a typology of regulatory deficits associated with anger in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cognitive, arousal, and behavioral domain deficits in anger regulation were observed clinically in PTSD patients with high levels of anger who were participating in a multi-year trial of a structured anger treatment. We also describe a category of patients whose anger type we have termed "ball of rage." These patients exhibit regulatory deficits in all three domains of anger regulation. We offer a conceptual framework to advance the understanding of anger associated with PTSD and to guide its effective treatment.

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The results support use of the DAR-5 for screening for anger when a short scale is required.

We examined whether combat-related PTSD was differentially associated with particular dimensions of anger on two multi-index, psychometric instruments and whether the proportion of variation in PTSD scores explained by anger was significantly greater than that by demographic and exposure variables. We also examined the reliability and validity of a subset of Mississippi Scale items as an anger measure. Participants were 143 Vietnam combat veterans. Anger accounted for over 40% of the variance in Mississippi PTSD scores (minus the anger items) above that associated with age, education, and combat exposure. Veterans with structured-interview-diagnosed PTSD were significantly differentiated from those without PTSD on all anger indices. The results point to anger treatment as a high priority for combat-related PTSD.

Systematic assessment of anger among people with developmental disabilities has been lacking, especially for hospital inpatients. Reliability and validity of anger self-report psychometric scales were investigated with 129 male patients, mostly forensic. Anger prevalence and its relationship to demographic, cognitive, and personality variables and to hospital assaultive behavior were examined. High internal and intermeasure consistency, and some concurrent validity with staff ratings, were found. Retrospective validity regarding physically assaultive behavior in the hospital was obtained. Hierarchical regressions revealed that patient-reported anger was a significant predictor of assaults postadmission, controlling for age, length of stay, IQ, violence offense history, and personality variables.