Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Family support, family stress, and suicidal ideation in a combat-exposed sample of OEF/OIF veterans
Journal Name
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping: An International Journal
Journal Volume
28
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
706-715
DOI
10.1080/10615806.2015.1006205
Summary
Iraq and Afghanistan combat-exposed Veterans completed questionnaires about family support and family stressors during deployment, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms, and suicidal ideation. In general, Veterans' reports of family support and family stress were related to mental health symptoms.
Key Findings
Veterans who reported higher levels of family support during deployment reported lower levels of PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and suicidal ideation.
Veterans’ reports of high levels of family stress during deployment were associated with greater PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and suicidal ideation.
PTSD and depression symptoms mediated the relationships between family stress, family support, and suicidal ideation, suggesting that mental health impacted for the relationship between family-related factors and suicidal ideation.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer courses for family members about how to provide emotional support to Service members during deployment
Provide support groups or programs for at-home family members to help them cope effectively with stressors during deployment
Host professional development trainings for professionals who work with military families about warning signs of suicidal ideation
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend pre-deployment family programs emphasize the importance of family support to the mission, and suggest specific ways in which families can support their Service members
Encourage regular updates of educational materials about traumatic stress and social support for professionals who work with military families
Support initiatives to develop more workshops for military families to learn about the relationships between traumatic stress, deployment, and social support
Methods
Participants were randomly selected from a Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) roster of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.
Only Veterans with combat experience were included in the sample and they were contacted via mail to complete questionnaires at home.
Participants completed measures of family and friend deployment support, family stressors, post- traumatic stress disorder symptoms, depression symptoms, and suicidal ideation.
Participants
Participants were Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans (n=978) who separated from service between 2008 and 2010. The sample included 58% Active Duty and 42% Reserve Components.
Veterans represented the following service branches: 64% Army, 16% Navy, 13% Air Force, 6% Marines, less than 1% Coast Guard.
The average age was 35 years, and 45% were male and 55% were female. The sample was predominately White (74%); Black (14%) and Latino (12%) were also represented in the sample.
Limitations
The data were cross-sectional, and therefore, causality cannot be inferred.
Data on suicidal ideation was recoded into a “yes or no” variable. Therefore, degree of suicidal ideation could be not examined, which limits the interpretation of results.
The authors based conclusions on data gathered at two different time points (deployment and post-deployment), which makes it impossible to exclude bias due to time-based effects of those variables.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine differences in mental health and suicidal ideation between Active Duty and Reserve Veterans
Explore other variables that likely contribute to suicidal ideation among combat-exposed Veterans (e.g., severity of combat experience)
Include data from Service members and their family members’ experiences at different time intervals (e.g., one year after deployment)
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Deployment-related risk factors for suicidal ideation among Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans have received a great deal of attention. Studies show that mental health symptoms mediate the association between most deployment stressors and suicidal ideation; however, family-related factors during deployment are largely unexplored. We examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms as mediators of the associations between deployment family support and stress and post-deployment suicidal ideation in combat-exposed OEF/OIF veterans. Design: National cross-sectional mail survey. Methods: 1046 veterans responded to the survey. The sample for this study was 978 veterans who experienced combat. Regression-based path analyses were conducted. Results: Family support and stress had direct associations with suicidal ideation. When PTSD and depression symptoms were examined as mediators of these associations, results revealed significant indirect paths through these symptoms.Conclusions: This study contributes to the literature on suicidal ideation risk factors among OEF/OIF veterans. Deployment family support and family stress are associated with suicidal ideation; however these associations occur primarily through mental health symptomatology, consistent with findings observed for other deployment factors. This research supports ongoing efforts to treat mental health symptomatology as a means of suicide prevention.
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