Citation

Bergman BP, Mackay DF, Smith DJ, Pell JP. Occup. Med. 2017; 67(5): 350-355.

Affiliation

Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RZ, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/occmed/kqx047

PMID

28486642

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although reassuring data on suicide risk in UK veterans of the 1982 Falklands conflict and 1991 Gulf conflict have been published, there have been few studies on long-term overall suicide risk in UK veterans. AIMS: To examine the risk of suicide in a broad population-based cohort of veterans in Scotland, irrespect ive of length of service or exposure to conflict, in comparison with people having no record of military service.

METHODS: A retrospective 30-year cohort study of 56205 veterans born 1945-85 and 172741 matched non-veterans, using Cox proportional hazard models to compare the risk of suicide and fatal self-harm overall, by sex, birth cohort, length of service and year of recruitment.

RESULTS: There were 267 (0.48%) suicides in the veterans compared with 918 (0.53%) in non-veterans. The difference was not statistically significant overall [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86-1.13]. The incidence was lower in younger veterans and higher in veterans aged over 40. Early service leavers were at non-significantly increased risk (adjusted HR 1.13; 95% CI 0.91-1.40) but only in the older age groups. Women veterans had a significantly higher risk of suicide than non-veteran women (adjusted HR 2.44; 95% CI 1.32-4.51, P < 0.01) and comparable risk to veteran men.

METHODS of suicide did not differ significantly between veterans and non-veterans, for either sex.

CONCLUSIONS: The Scottish Veterans Health Study adds to the emerging body of evidence that there is no overall difference in long-term risk of suicide between veterans and non-veterans in the UK. However, female veterans merit further study.

Language: en

Keywords

Early service leavers; military veterans; retrospective cohort studies; suicide; suicide methods; women.