Purpose in Life and Conscientiousness Protect Against the Development of Suicidal Ideation in U.S. Military Veterans with PTSD and MDD: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Norman SB ; Pietrzak RH ; Pitts M ; Straus E ; Tripp JC
• Description:
  Background: Although several studies have examined risk factors for suicidal ideation among veterans, little is known about risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation in high-risk veteran samples. Thus, this study examined a broad range of risk and protective factors associated with the development of suicidal ideation in a high-risk sample of U.S. veterans who screened positive for current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative, prospective cohort study of U.S. veterans. Veterans completed self-report measures to screen for PTSD and MDD and to assess for risk and protective factors. The sample included 222 veterans with PTSD and/or MDD who did not endorse suicidal ideation at baseline and completed at least one assessment over a seven-year follow-up period. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine baseline factors associated with incident suicidal ideation. Results: Nearly one in three (27.1%) of veterans with PTSD and/or MDD developed suicidal ideation over the seven-year follow-up period. Non-Caucasian race and lower scores on measures of purpose in life, conscientiousness, and frequency of religious service attendance were independently associated with incident suicidal ideation. Lower purpose in life (52.3%) and conscientiousness (33.2%) explained the vast majority of variance in incident suicidal ideation. Conclusion: Nearly 30% of veterans with PTSD and/or MDD who did not endorse suicidal ideation at baseline developed suicidal ideation over a seven-year period. Prevention and treatment efforts designed to bolster purpose in life and conscientiousness may help mitigate risk for suicidal ideation in this high-risk population. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Suicide
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Cohort Studies Major Depressive Disorder Military Personnel Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Protective Factors Psychological Disorders PTSD Risk Factors Suicidal Ideation
• ISSN:
  2470-5470
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Connecticut ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Vermont
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-10
• Volume:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058170
• Citation:
  Chronic Stress 2019 Aug; 3:1-10
• Contact Point Address:
  Elizabeth Straus, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
• Email:
  elizabeth.straus@va.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20120901
• Source Full Name:
  Chronic Stress
• End Date:
  20180831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fad58ae6b63cfbaf9e4fcc86ca946d36a18d76a23838ac5773458e2f91cf708873c636d19aaef3f416b7c60436a0c233a94b592a70f052c40c00fdb370abc80d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221307/cdc_221307_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 308.37 KB ]