Empirical and Ethical Considerations for Addressing Spirituality among Veterans and other Military Populations at Risk for Suicide

Given troubling suicide rates among military veterans and active duty personnel, there is increasing interest in the possible clinical utility of incorporating spirituality in prevention efforts. However, there has been limited empirical research and discussion of ethical challenges involved in integrating spirituality into preventive and treatment interventions with military populations. As such, the purpose of this commentary is to (a) briefly summarize supporting evidence for addressing spirituality in preventive and treatment interventions with military populations and (b) introduce several ethical concerns that providers may need to consider as they attempt to attend to spiritual concerns among veterans and other military personnel who might be at risk for prematurely ending their lives.