Hostile interpretation biases are central to the development and maintenance of anger, yet have been inconsistently assessed. The Word Sentence Association Paradigm (WSAP) was used to develop a new measure of hostile interpretation biases, the WSAP-Hostility. Study 1 examined the factor structure and internal consistency of the WSAP-Hostility, as well as its relationship with trait anger. Study 2 provided convergent and divergent validity data by examining its associations with trait anger, aggression, depression, and anxiety. Study 3 examined the relationship between WSAP-Hostility and another measure of hostile interpretation biases, as well as another word sentence association measure, in a sample of community participants. Study 4 also used a sample of community participants to offer further evidence of convergent validity. Across the studies, the WSAP-Hostility demonstrated convergent and divergent validity and internal consistency, supporting its use as a measure of hostile interpretation biases.
Military-affiliated individuals (i.e., active duty personnel and veterans) exhibit high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although existing evidence-based treatments for PTSD, such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT), have demonstrated effectiveness with military-affiliated patients, there is evidence to suggest these individuals do not benefit as much as civilians. However, few studies have directly compared the effects of PTSD treatment between civilian and military-affiliated participants. The current study compared treatment outcomes of military-affiliated and civilian patients receiving CPT. Participants with PTSD who were either civilians (n = 136) or military-affiliated (n = 63) received CPT from community-based providers in training for CPT. Results indicated that military-affiliated participants were equally likely to complete treatment, Log odds ratio (OR) = 0.14, p = .648. Although military-affiliated participants exhibited reductions in PTSD, B = −2.53, p < .001; and depression symptoms, B = −0.65, p < .001, they experienced smaller reductions in symptoms relative to civilians: B = 1.15, p = .015 for PTSD symptoms and B = 0.29, p = .029 for depression symptoms. Furthermore, variability estimates indicated there was more variability in providers' treatment of military-affiliated versus civilian participants (i.e., completion rates and symptom reduction). These findings suggest that military-affiliated patients can be successfully retained in trauma-focused treatment in the community at the same rate as civilian patients, and they significantly improve in PTSD and depression symptoms although not as much as civilians. These findings also highlight community providers' variability in treatment of military-affiliated patients, providing support for more military-cultural training.
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