Recent stressful experiences and suicide risk: Implications for suicide prevention and intervention in U.S. Army soldiers

Dempsey, C. L., Benedek, D. M., Zuromski, K. L., Nock, M. K., Brent, D. A., Ao, J., Georg, M. W., Haller, K., Aliaga, P. A., Heeringa, S. G., Kessler, R. C., Stein, M. B., & Ursano, R. J. (2023). Recent stressful experiences and suicide risk: Implications for suicide prevention and intervention in U.S. Army soldiers. Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice, 5(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.prcp.20220027

Given the prevalence of suicide in the U.S. generally and within militaryaffiliated populations specifically, suicide is a public health concern. For this study, next of kin and/ or military supervisors of 135 active-duty Service members who died by suicide between 2011 and 2013 reported those Service members’ mental health diagnoses (e.g., anxiety, personality disorder), stressors in the month before death (e.g., spouse leaving, perceived humiliation), and lifetime stressors (i.e., traumatic or deployment-related stressful life events). The study compared Service members who died by suicide to living Service members with similar demographic and military characteristics (n = 128) and those who reported suicidal ideation within the past year (n = 118). Researchers conducted analyses to differentiate risk factors between Service members experiencing suicidal ideation and those who completed suicide. Overall, recent stressors, such as military punishment in the prior month, increased active-duty Service members’ risk of suicide.

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