In ‘Identifying Suicide-Related Predictors Using Overseas Airborne Infantry Brigade Serious Incident Reports’ the authors shed light on important factors that increase the risk of suicide attempts among U.S. Army soldiers. The study found that alcohol use, unit location, and suicide-related incidents occurring during off-duty hours, contribute more to the overall risk of suicide-related behavior compared to other variables studied in the data sample. The study suggests leveraging unit SR-SIRs to inform unit-specific suicide prevention strategies, help reduce the risk of suicide-related behaviors, and inform suicide prevention strategies in the US Army.
Key Insights:
- Suicide attempts were strongly associated with alcohol use.
- Suicide attempts were more likely to occur during off-duty hours (weekends and leave) compared to SR-SIRs occurring during duty hours (workday and weeknights).
- Soldiers with suicide attempts were less likely compared to soldiers with suicidal ideations to have had prior contacts with behavioral health services, however, this difference did not attain conventional levels of statistical significance
- Analyzing suicide-related serious incident reports can provide valuable insights into preventing suicides by understanding patterns and risk factors specific to military personnel