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Although positive and negative attitudes toward a transgressor are related to increased and decreased forgiveness, respectively, prior research has failed to investigate forgiveness among those who feel both positively and negatively toward a transgressor. Therefore, the authors examined such ambivalence and its relationship to forgiveness. It was hypothesized that spouses with ambivalent attitudes toward their partner will be less forgiving of a partner transgression because such an event is likely to prime the negative component of their ambivalence. Because ruminating about a transgression also has the potential to prime the negative component of one's ambivalence, an interaction between rumination and ambivalence was predicted. Data from 87 married couples showed that greater attitudinal ambivalence toward the partner was associated with decreased forgiveness only when husbands and wives thought about the transgression frequently; ambivalence was not related to forgiveness in the absence of rumination. The implications of these findings for understanding forgiveness in marriage and for increasing forgiveness among married couples are discussed. Keywords: marriage; forgiveness; transgression; ambivalence; rumination

Background: To evaluate the prevalence of lifetime non‐suicidal self‐injury (NSSI) among US military veterans and identify sociodemographic, military, psychiatric and clinical correlates associated with NSSI. Methods: Data were analysed from the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a contemporary, nationally representative survey of 4069 US veterans. Outcomes measured included lifetime history of NSSI, trauma history, lifetime and current DSM‐V mental disorders and lifetime and recent suicidal behaviours. Results: The overall prevalence of lifetime NSSI was 4.2% (95% confidence interval [3.6%, 4.9%]). Multivariable analyses revealed that veterans who endorsed lifetime NSSI were more likely to be younger, female, non‐Caucasian, unmarried or unpartnered, and to have a lower annual household income. Veterans who endorsed lifetime NSSI reported more adverse childhood experiences and lifetime traumas and were more likely to have experienced military sexual trauma. They also were more likely to screen positive for lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD) and substance use disorders and to have attempted suicide. Finally, lifetime NSSI was associated with current MDD, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance use disorders, as well as past‐year suicidal ideation. Conclusion: Results of this study provide the first‐known data on the epidemiology of NSSI in US military veterans. They suggest that certain correlates can help identify veterans who may be at greater risk for engaging in NSSI, as well as the potential prognostic utility of lifetime NSSI in predicting current psychiatric problems and suicide risk in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Veterans are a unique population that may be at increased risk of tobacco use disorder and nicotine dependence (ND). We analyzed data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS), a large nationally representative sample of US veterans, in order to more fully understand the prevalence and correlates of lifetime ND in US Veterans. Methods: Descriptive statistics were conducted to summarize health and functioning/quality of life characteristics among veterans with and without lifetime ND. Hierarchical binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between ND and psychiatric and physical health variables. Results: Compared with veterans without lifetime ND, veterans with lifetime ND were more likely to screen positive for several lifetime psychiatric disorders including current alcohol use disorder (odds ratio [OR] 2.79 [95% confidence interval [CI] 2.23, 3.49]), depression (OR 1.86 [1.38, 2.50]), and PTSD (OR 1.68 [1.14, 2.47]). From a medical standpoint, they were more likely to endorse having kidney disease (OR 4.18 [2.55, 6.86]), heart attack (OR 2.09 [1.51, 2.89]), and rheumatoid arthritis (1.90 [1.20, 3.00]) in addition to other conditions. They scored lower in overall physical functioning and higher in somatization symptoms. Conclusions: Veterans with lifetime ND in the NHRVS survey were more likely to have psychiatric and medical conditions and lower physical functioning compared with Veterans without lifetime ND. Veterans with lifetime ND may therefore require a comprehensive and integrated approach to care that includes attention to co-morbid illness in addition to drug addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a military Veteran sample (N = 129) using Finkel's (2007) framework for understanding the interactions between impelling and disinhibiting risk factors. Correlates investigated included head contact events (HCEs), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and antisocial features. Results indicated that antisocial features were significantly associated with IPV at the bivariate level. PTSD symptoms also were associated with IPV, but this association was marginally significant. Tests of moderation provided support for the expectation that HCEs would potentiate associations between antisocial features and IPV. HCEs also moderated the association between PTSD symptoms and IPV. However, contrary to expectations, the opposite pattern emerged such that PTSD symptoms were associated with a higher rate of IPV for those without a history of HCEs. Study findings have potentially important implications for furthering our understanding of the complex etiology of IPV in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Exposure to traumatic life events is associated with increased risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems such as suicidal ideation (SI), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and decreased quality of life (QOL). Mindfulness, which involves attending to the present moment, may help individuals cope with traumatic events by increasing acceptance of trauma-related experiences and decreasing trauma-related negative affect and avoidance of trauma reminders. The current study evaluated whether mindful attention to the present moment mediated the association between number of lifetime traumas and mental health., Method: The sample consisted of 1,268 trauma-exposed U.S. veterans who participated in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative study of U.S. veterans. On average, the sample was 60.6 years of age ( SD = 15.2, range = 20-94), predominantly male (89.8%), Caucasian (75.0%), and noncombat veterans (59.2%)., Results: Path analyses revealed that mindfulness partially mediated the relation between number of lifetime traumas and PTSD symptoms (β = -.55), AUD (β = -.17), and QOL (β = .38), and fully mediated the relation between number of lifetime traumas and SI (β = -.36)., Conclusions: The relationship between lifetime trauma burden and various mental health issues of relevance to U.S. veterans may be mediated by mindfulness, or the ability to pay attention to the present moment. Interventions that bolster mindfulness may help mitigate the negative impact of cumulative traumas in this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).