Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Veteran Suicide Risk Factors: A National Sample Of Nonveteran And Veteran Men Who Died By Suicide, David S. Wood, Bethany M. Wood, Aislinn Watson, Devan Sheffield, Helena Hauter

Faculty Publications

Veteran suicide is a serious public health problem. Some data suggest that veteran suicide risk profiles differ from those of nonveterans. Records for veteran (n = 21,692) and nonveteran (n = 83,430) men who died by suicide were examined from 17 U.S. states using the National Violent Death Reporting System data. Seventeen precipitating factors were examined and combined through meta-analysis of proportions. Many precipitating factors were found to be less frequent for veterans. A smaller number of factors were found to be higher in the veteran population, including physical health problems. A sizable cumulative effect size (1.02) was observed, suggesting …