Study for Chronic Anger and Aggression After Military Betrayal

This study is looking at a new treatment called Countering Chronic Anger and Aggression Related to Trauma and Transgressions (CART) for military service members and veterans. It's for those who have experienced betrayal during their military service and are struggling with ongoing anger and aggression. The goal is to see if CART can help reduce these issues and improve relationships. Researchers will also check if participants are happy with the treatment and if it can be easily used in a military outpatient setting. About 40 people will participate, and the study is currently unclear on its recruitment status.

Study design
This interventional study plans to enroll 40 participants. Researchers will compare groups with different wait times before starting treatment.
What's involved
You would complete 5-10 minute assessments twice a week during a wait time, and have a weekly 10-minute check-in call. Then, you would participate in about 14 one-hour CART sessions, twice a week.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
You will complete surveys again about one month after your treatment ends.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT06609330

Treatment of Chronic Anger and Aggression Following Military-Related Betrayal

Recruiting
NAAges 18+InterventionalTreatment
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
~40 participants
Updated 2026-04-01 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Countering Chronic Anger and Aggression Related to Trauma and Transgressions (CART)

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Successful recruitment
Measured over Study start to last subject enrolled, approximately 1 year
+4 more outcomes measured
Anger Problems
Aggression

NCT06609330

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (CRDAMC) at Fort Cavazos

    Fort Cavazos, Texasstudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

  • Vanessa Jacoby, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • Alan Peterson, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Adult active duty military service members and veterans aged 18 or older.
Endorses a history of military-related betrayal (on the Modified Moral Injury Questionnaire)
Endorses problematic anger in the past month (as evidenced by a score of 12 or above on the Dimensions of Anger Reactions; DAR-5)
Engaged in at least 1 self-reported act of aggression in the past 1 month (on the Overt Aggression Scale-Modified; OAS-M)

Exclusion

Participated in an anger management or trauma-focused intervention within the past 3 months as assessed by self-report.
Acute suicidality requiring immediate intervention, such as hospitalization as assessed by the Depressive Symptoms Index-Suicidality Subscale (DSI-SS) combined with follow up clinical interview for elevated scores.
Is currently homicidal with plans and intent to hurt a specific person and requiring immediate intervention as measured by self-report and follow-up with clinician if screened positive.
Moderate to severe brain injury as measured by inability to comprehend the informed consent document or baseline assessments.
Has severe alcohol consumption patterns as evidenced by a score of 19 or above on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).
Experiencing active psychosis or mania as measured by the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief Version and the Mood Disorders Questionnaire.
  • Successful recruitmentStudy start to last subject enrolled, approximately 1 year

    Number of eligible referrals that are recruited, enrolled into the study and randomized to treatment

  • Client satisfaction survey (CSQ-8)1 month after study end ( at approximately 11-18 weeks)

    The survey will assess participant acceptability using the CSQ-8, an 8-item self-report measure designed to assess client satisfaction. Each question is answered on a 4-point scale with a possible range of scores between 8-32. A higher score indicates a higher level of overall satisfaction. Mean scores will be used to determine participant satisfaction.

  • Overt Aggression Scale-Modified (OAS-M)Baseline to 1 month post treatment (approximately 11-18 weeks)

    A 17-item measure that assesses frequency of different aggression acts in outpatient settings, including verbal and physical aggression against self, other, and objects. The OAS-M is scored by summing the instances of aggression since the last assessment. The OAS-M had been administered as an interview as well as self-report and will be administered as a self-report in this study, consistent with past aggression research with veterans (Miles, Kent et al., 2020). The score is calculated using a sum total of all instances of aggression. Higher scores indicate a greater frequency of aggressive behaviors.

  • Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Short Version (IIP-32)Baseline to 1 month post treatment (approximately 11-18 weeks)

    A 32-item self-report assessment designed to measure interpersonal functioning. Items are scored on a five-point scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) in response to the stem: "How much have you been distressed by this problem?" There are 8 factors and a total score. The 8 factors are: hard to be assertive, hard to be sociable, hard to be supportive, too dependent, too caring, too aggressive, hard to be involved and too open. The possible total score ranges from a T-score are 0-100. T-scores that are higher than 60 are above average and T-scores 70 or higher suggest significant interpersonal difficulty.

  • State Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2)Baseline to 1 month post treatment (approximately 11-18 weeks)

    A 57-item inventory which measures the frequency and intensity of anger as an emotional state. There are 6 scales, 5 subscales, and an Anger Expression Index (total anger expression). The State Anger scale (15 items) measures anger intensity as a momentary emotional state, while the Trait Anger scale (10 items) measures the disposition to experience angry feelings as a personality-like trait over lengthy time periods (i.e., the individual's disposition to become angry or angry temperament). The Anger Expression scale (16 items) and the Anger Control scale (16 items) measure four anger-related trait dimensions. Ratings of items are on a 4-point response scales that measure state anger (intensity) as well as trait anger (frequency). The possible total range is a T-score from 0 to 100. Individuals with anger scores higher than the 75-percentile experience and/ or express angry feelings to a degree that may interfere with optimal functioning.