Suicide Risk in Young Veterans After Leaving the UK Armed Forces
Author Information
Author(s): Navneet Kapur, David While, Nick Blatchley, Isabelle Bray, Kate Harrison
Primary Institution: Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester
Hypothesis
What are the rates, timing, and risk factors for suicide in individuals who have left the UK Armed Forces?
Conclusion
Young men who leave the UK Armed Forces are at increased risk of suicide, particularly shortly after discharge.
Supporting Evidence
- 224 individuals died by suicide after leaving the Armed Forces.
- The risk of suicide in men aged 24 years and younger was 2-3 times higher than in the general population.
- Only 21% of those who died by suicide had contact with mental health services in the year before death.
- The risk of suicide was highest in the first 2 years after discharge.
- Young men with short lengths of service were at the greatest risk of suicide.
Takeaway
Young men who stop being soldiers are more likely to hurt themselves than other young men, especially in the first two years after they leave.
Methodology
A cohort study linking national databases of discharged personnel and suicide deaths from 1996 to 2005.
Potential Biases
Potential underreporting of suicide cases and reliance on administrative databases may introduce bias.
Limitations
The study may have missed some cases of suicide among discharged personnel that occurred overseas and could not explore some important variables.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included 233,803 individuals, predominantly male (90%), with a median age of 25 years at discharge.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI [84–110]
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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