Non-suicidal self-injury as a predictor of active and passive suicidal ideation among Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans

Nathan A Kimbrel; Kim L Gratz; Matthew T Tull; Sandra B Morissette; Eric C Meyer; Bryann B DeBeer; Paul J Silvia; Patrick C Calhoun; Jean C Beckham

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.03.026

Non-suicidal self-injury as a predictor of active and passive suicidal ideation among Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans

Psychiatry Res. 2015 Jun 30;227(2-3):360-2. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.03.026. Epub 2015 Apr 1.

Authors

Nathan A Kimbrel¹, Kim L Gratz², Matthew T Tull², Sandra B Morissette³, Eric C Meyer³, Bryann B DeBeer³, Paul J Silvia⁴, Patrick C Calhoun⁵, Jean C Beckham⁶

Affiliations

¹ Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. Electronic address: Nathan.Kimbrel@va.gov.
² University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
³ VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA; Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX, USA; Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, USA.
⁴ University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC USA.
⁵ Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham, NC, USA.
⁶ Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.

Abstract

The present study examined the association between lifetime non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and current suicidal ideation among Iraq/Afghanistan veterans. NSSI was positively associated with passive, active, and concurrent active-passive suicidal ideation at the bivariate level. NSSI remained a predictor of active, OR=5.15, and concurrent active-passive suicidal ideation, OR=7.01, when other risk factors were considered. These findings suggest that NSSI may be a particularly useful marker of active suicidal ideation among veterans.

Keywords: Depression; Non-suicidal self-injury; Suicide.

Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adult
Afghan Campaign 2001-
Afghanistan
Humans
Iraq
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Male
Risk Factors
Self-Injurious Behavior / epidemiology*
Self-Injurious Behavior / psychology*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / complications*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
Suicidal Ideation*
Veterans / psychology*
Warfare

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding