The interpersonal theory of suicide (Joiner, 2005) may help explain high suicide rates among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It suggests that suicidal ideation results from believing that one is a burden on others (i.e., perceived burdensomeness) and does not belong among family, friends, or other social groups (i.e., thwarted belongingness). Evidence‐based PTSD treatments, including cognitive processing therapy (CPT), decrease suicidal ideation, potentially through changes in these two theory constructs. The current study examined whether (a) changes in PTSD severity and suicidal ideation and (b) changes in negative cognitions about self and suicidal ideation were indirectly associated through changes in perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness across PTSD treatment. Participants (N = 107) were veterans in a residential treatment program who were diagnosed with full or subthreshold PTSD and received CPT. Changes in PTSD symptom severity and negative cognitions about self predicted changes in suicidal ideation, B = 0.18, p < .001 and B = 0.50, p < .001, respectively. Changes in PTSD symptom severity and negative cognitions about self were indirectly associated with suicidal ideation through changes in perceived burdensomeness, B = 0.16, 95% CI [0.07, 0.25]; B = 0.27, 95% CI [0.05, 0.50], but not thwarted belongingness, B = −0.002; 95% CI [−0.06, 0.06]; B = 0.06, 95% CI [−0.12, 0.21] in separate models. These findings suggest that residential CPT may be uniquely equipped to decrease suicidality by restructuring negative beliefs, including perceptions of being a burden on others, and/or by alleviating the objective burden of PTSD.

Suicide is a significant public health concern, and, specifically, the veteran population has exhibited a 22% higher risk of death by suicide than the general population (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2017). The interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005) appears to be the most widely researched theory to examine factors associated with suicidal ideation. The IPTS applies to veteran suicidal ideation in that veterans may feel they are burdensome to others or that they do not belong following their transition from active duty. The current study sought to (a) identify the prevalence and correlates of the IPTS constructs perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness; (b) examine the main and interactive effects of these constructs on suicidal ideation; and (c) examine their indirect effects in the associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, depressive symptomatology, and substance use with suicidal ideation in a sample of veterans in PTSD residential treatment (N = 125). Regression results demonstrated that perceived burdensomeness was significantly associated with suicidal ideation, β = .50, p < .001; however, thwarted belongingness and the interaction of the two were not. In the models of indirect effects, perceived burdensomeness emerged as the only significant indirect effect in the association between PTSD symptomatology and suicidal ideation, β = .01 (SE = .00), 95% CI [.0050, .0149], as well as between depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation, β = .02 (SE = .01), 95% CI [.0109, .0311]. Study limitations and future directions are also discussed.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has called for improved assessment and intervention for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) to mitigate deleterious sequalae, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research on the impact of MST-related PTSD (MST-IT) on men is limited, and few studies have examined the differential effects of treatment across genders and MST-IT. Additionally, studies have utilized varying definitions of MST (e.g., sexual assault only vs. including sexual harassment), contributing to disparate outcomes across studies. Utilizing data from 343 veterans seeking residential cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for PTSD in VHA, this study examined the impact of MST-IT and gender on differences in demographic characteristics; pre-treatment severity of PTSD (overall and clusters), depression, and negative posttraumatic cognitions (NPCs); and post-treatment severity of these variables after accounting for pre-treatment severity. Results from 2x2 factorial ANOVAs found no differences in pre-treatment depression or overall PTSD by MST-IT, gender, or their interaction; however, MST-IT survivors presented with greater pre-treatment avoidance, global NPCs, and self-blame. Results from hierarchical linear regression models found only pre-treatment symptom severity significantly predicted post-treatment severity for overall PTSD and all NPCs. These findings suggest veteran survivors of MST-IT appear to benefit similarly from CPT delivered in a VHA residential PTSD program compared to veterans with other index traumas, regardless of gender. Although there were minimal post-treatment differences in PTSD and NPCs by MST-IT status and gender, residual symptoms related to negative cognitions and mood appear to differ across gender and MST-IT status. Specifically, in individuals without MST-IT, post-treatment PTSD symptoms of negative alterations in cognition and mood were higher in men than women. Moreover, women with MST-IT reported more symptoms of depression than both men with MST-IT and women without MST-IT. These findings suggest depressive symptoms decrease through residential PTSD treatment differentially by MST-IT status and gender and warrant further examination.