Citation

Kaplan MS, McFarland BH, Huguet N, Valenstein M. Am. J. Public Health 2012; 102(Suppl 1): S131-S137.

Affiliation

Mark S. Kaplan and Nathalie Huguet are with Portland State University, Portland, OR. Bentson H. McFarland is with Oregon Health and Science University, Portland. Marcia Valenstein is with the Department of Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2011.300445

PMID

22390587

Abstract

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of suicide among veteran men relative to nonveteran men by age and to examine the prevalence of suicide circumstances among male veterans in different age groups (18-34, 35-44, 45-64, and ≥ 65 years). Methods. Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (2003-2008) were used to calculate age-specific suicide rates for veterans (n = 8440) and nonveterans (n = 21 668) and to calculate the age-stratified mortality ratio for veterans. Multiple logistic regression was used to compare health status, stressful life events preceding suicide, and means of death among young, middle-aged, and older veterans. Results. Veterans were at higher risk for suicide compared with nonveterans in all age groups except the oldest. Mental health, substance abuse, and financial and relationship problems were more common in younger than in older veteran suicide decedents, whereas health problems were more prevalent in the older veterans. Most male veterans used firearms for suicide, and nearly all elderly veterans did so. Conclusions. Our study highlighted heightened risk of suicide in male veterans compared with nonveterans. Within the veteran population, suicide might be influenced by different precipitating factors at various stages of life.

Language: en