Posttraumatic stress disorder as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans

Matthew Jakupcak; Jessica Cook; Zac Imel; Alan Fontana; Robert Rosenheck; Miles McFall

doi:10.1002/jts.20423

Posttraumatic stress disorder as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans

J Trauma Stress. 2009 Aug;22(4):303-6. doi: 10.1002/jts.20423.

Authors

Matthew Jakupcak¹, Jessica Cook, Zac Imel, Alan Fontana, Robert Rosenheck, Miles McFall

Affiliation

¹ Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA. matthew.jakupcak@va.gov

PMID: 19626682
DOI: 10.1002/jts.20423

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was examined as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans (N = 407) referred to Veterans Affairs mental health care. The authors also examined if risk for suicidal ideation was increased by the presence of comorbid mental disorders in veterans with PTSD. Veterans who screened positive for PTSD were more than 4 times as likely to endorse suicidal ideation relative to non-PTSD veterans. Among veterans who screened positive for PTSD (n = 202), the risk for suicidal ideation was 5.7 times greater in veterans who screened positive for two or more comorbid disorders relative to veterans with PTSD only. Findings are relevant to identifying risk for suicide behaviors in Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adult
Afghan Campaign 2001-*
Female
Humans
Iraq War, 2003-2011*
Male
Risk Factors
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*
Suicide / psychology*
Veterans / psychology*