Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Suicidal ideation and mental distress among adults with military service history: Results from 5 US States.
Journal Name
American Journal of Public Health
Journal Volume
104
Issue Number
S4
Page Numbers
S595-S602
DOI
10.2105/AJPH.2014.302064
Summary
The association of military service history with past-year suicidal ideation and past-30-days mental distress in a sample of individuals was examined. Military service was defined as current or former active-duty service or National Guard or Reserve service. Results showed that military participants had higher odds of mental distress in the past 30 days than civilians.
Key Findings
Thirteen percent of the sample indicated military service.
Among individuals 40-64 years of age, military service history was associated with both past-year suicidal ideation and past-30 day mental distress.
Military participants were more likely to be married, have some college education, and be employed than civilians.
Older (over 65 years of age) military participants had lower rates of mental distress than civilians within the same age range.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide information to military families about how to identify suicidal ideation in loved ones
Compile and distribute a list of local, military- and community-based mental health resources
Host classes to help Service members manage stress and emotional duress
Implications for Policy Makers
Promote reintegration programs that include attention to assisting Service members’ family in adjusting to the Service member’s return
Recommend screening Service members for suicidal ideation at regular intervals
Recommend professional development for service providers about assessment and identification of people at risk for self-harm behaviors
Methods
Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from five states were used.
Participants were randomly selected and interviewed via telephone.
Participants answered questions about past year suicidal ideation, past 30-day mental distress, and military service.
Participants
Twenty-six thousand six hundred eighty-five people participated (84% female).
Thirteen percent of the sample indicated some military history.
The race/ethnicity of the sample was mostly White (76%) and Latino/Latina (11%).
Limitations
The data were cross-sectional and any causal conclusions are inappropriate.
The data only came from five states and may not be representative of the United States as a whole.
There was variation across the wordings for suicidal ideation by state which may have yielded inconsistent results.
Avenues for Future Research
Replicate the study and include a broader sample of participants
Conduct a longitudinal study to evaluate suicide risk between Service members and civilians over time
Develop a standardized measure of suicidal ideation and behavior that can be used with national studies
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Objectives. We examined the association of military service history with past-year suicidal ideation and past-30-days mental distress in a probability-based sample of adults. Methods. We gathered 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 5 states that asked about past-year suicidal ideation. Military service was defined as current or former active-duty service or National Guard or Reserves service. We stratified analyses into 18 to 39 years, 40 to 64 years, and 65 years and older age groups and used multiple logistic regression analyses, adjusted for demographic confounders, to discern the association of military service history with past-year suicidal ideation and past-30-days mental distress. Results. Among the 26,736 respondents, 13.1% indicated military service history. After adjusting for several confounders, we found military history status among those aged 40 to 64 years was associated with both past-year suicidal ideation and past-30-days mental distress. We found no significant associations among the younger or older age groups. Conclusions. Differences in suicidal ideation between military and nonmilitary individuals may occur in midlife. Future research should examine the possibility of cohort effects, service era effects, or both.
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