Aggression in Military Personnel
Key facts
- Who runs it
- James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital
- Trial code
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- People taking part
- 106 people, planned
- Starts
- Dec 2026
- Expected to end
- Sept 2029
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA)
- Self-Monitoring
- Record updated
- 12 November 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 9 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Active duty service member 18 years or older
- Currently meets criteria for full or subthreshold PTSD, determined by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5-R (CAPS-5-R; Jackson et al., 2024) endorsing trauma exposure and a score of > 3 on at least 1 Cluster B, 1 Cluster C, 1 Cluster D, and 1 Cluster E symptom. Symptoms must be present for at least 1 month with clinically significant distress and/or functional impairment (items 23-25 with scores of > 2)
- Engaged in at least 3 self-reported aggressive acts (e.g., yelling, throwing objects, hitting objects/people) in the last month, measured by the 20-item Overt Aggression Scale (OAS; Yudofsky et al., 1986)
- Impulsive aggression is primary form of aggression, determined by the Impulsive Premeditated Aggression Scale (IPAS; Standford et al., 2001)
- Clinically significant anger determined by scores of >12 on the Dimensions of Anger Reactions (DAR-5; Forbes et al., 2014) scale
Who cannot take part
- Had a psychotropic medication change within 4 weeks prior to the baseline assessment. Service members receiving general mental health services or engaging in usual care will be allowed to participate; -
- Current manic episode as indicated on the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ; Hirschfeld et al., 2000) or experiencing psychotic symptoms as indicated on the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16; Ising et al., 2012) requiring immediate stabilization or hospitalization (as determined by clinical assessment and judgment)
- Currently suicidal or homicidal ideation severe enough to warrant immediate attention (as determined by the Depressive Symptoms Index - Suicidality Subscale and the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview short form) and corroborated by a clinical risk assessment by a credentialed provider
- Unable to complete self-report measures based on clinical judgement
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
We propose to study if Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA) is helpful in reducing anger and aggression in active duty service members by comparing it to self monitoring of one's anger and aggression. The proposed study has two treatment groups. The first group will receive MERA and then monitor their anger and aggression for 3 more weeks. The second group will be asked to monitor their anger and aggression for 3 weeks prior to receiving MERA. All service members will receive MERA and will be asked to self-monitor, but the order in which they are asked to complete these tasks will be randomized.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA) X Self-MonitoringTreatment being tested
MERA followed by Self-Monitoring.
Treatment: Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA) and Self-Monitoring
- Self-Monitoring X Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA)Existing treatment, for comparison
Self-monitoring followed by MERA.
Treatment: Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA) and Self-Monitoring
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Reducing Aggression in Military Personnel: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- Record updated
- 12 November 2026