Therapeutic and lifestyle reduction of aggressiveness in Vietnam veterans

Sixty-six Vietnam in-country veterans were surveyed to determine how three variables (rap group participation, self-management effectiveness, and support unit help) were related to aggressiveness measures on the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS). The subjects were divided into three groups: veterans who were currently attending rap groups at local Vietnam Era Veterans Outreach Centers; veterans who had attended rap groups during the preceding year; and veterans who had never attended rap groups. Prerap group and postrap group levels of aggressiveness and self-management were assessed. The study produced three major findings: 1) Expression of Anger scores on the IBS were significantly lower for veterans who had participated in rap groups than for those who had not; 2) as aggressiveness decreased across subjects, self-management effectiveness increased; 3) level of support for the returning Vietnam veteran and self-reported aggressiveness were negatively correlated.