Suicidal Ideation, Suicidal Attempts, and Self‐Harm in the <scp>UK</scp> Armed Forces

Jones, Norman; Sharp, Marie‐Louise; Phillips, A; Stevelink, Sharon

doi:10.1111/sltb.12570

Cited by 10 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(59 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the UK, Rhead et al ( 2020 ) found that veterans of recent military operations were more likely to report common mental disorders (23% v. 16%), PTSD (8% v. 5%) and alcohol misuse (11% v. 6%) at a higher prevalence than non-veterans. Jones, Sharp, Phillips, & Stevelink ( 2019 ) found an upward trend in self-harming among active personnel and veterans from 1.9% in 2004–2006, to 3.8% in 2007–2009, to 6.6% in 2014–2016. In the same study, 9.7% of respondents had attempted suicide in their lifetime, whereas nearly 48% had experienced suicide ideation (Jones et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Combat and Mental Health: Understanding Moral Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Encountering children and child soldiers during military deployments: the impact and implications for moral injury

Denov

2022

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: During a deployment, soldiers must make seemingly impossible decisions, including having to engage with child soldiers. Such moral conflicts may continue to affect service members and veterans in the aftermath of a deployment, sometimes leading to severe moral distress, anguish, and personal crises. Service providers have increasingly argued that as a diagnosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cannot account for these deeply personal and painful moral conflicts. In light of this, the concept of moral injury has been introduced to better capture the profound forms of guilt and shame that may be experienced by service members and veterans. Objective: This paper addresses encounters with children and child soldiers during military deployments, as well as the risk for moral injury during and following these encounters, and their implications. This exploratory paper brings together existing literature on the topic to introduce, illustrate, and offer potential and promising interventions. Results: Given the potential moral conflicts that may ensue, military personnel who encounter child soldiers during a military deployment may be at risk for moral injury during and following these encounters. The introduction of the concept of moral injury provides a way for these largely unnamed personal and painful moral conflicts and violations to be recognized, addressed, and with appropriate care, remedied. Although there is limited research into their effectiveness at treating moral injury, individual and group-based interventions have been identified as potentially beneficial. Conclusion: As encounters with children during deployments are likely to continue, systematic research, training, healing interventions and prevention strategies are vital to support and protect children in conflict settings, as well as to ensure the mental health and well-being of service members and veterans. HIGHLIGHTS Profound moral conflicts may affect service members and veterans in the aftermath of a military deployment, sometimes leading to severe moral distress, anguish, and personal crises. The concept of moral injury has been introduced to better capture the profound forms of guilt and shame that may be experienced by service members and veterans. Encountering children and child soldiers during a military deployment, may present unique challenges, stress, and moral crises leading to potentially moral injurious events. In particular, transgression-based events which result from an individual perpetrating or engaging in acts that contravene his or her deeply held moral beliefs and expectations such as harming children, and betrayal-based events , which results from witnessing or falling victim to the perceived moral transgressions of others, may lead to lasting psychological, biological, spiritual, beha...

show abstract

Section: Combat and Mental Health: Understanding Moral Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Encountering children and child soldiers during military deployments: the impact and implications for moral injury

Denov

2022

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Higher rates were found among army veterans [39]. Some reports show women to be at higher risk for self-harm compared to men [40], but no explanation is provided for this phenomenon.…”

Section: Uk Armed Forcesmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Suicide attempts were not included in this report [41]. A 2019 study addressed the issue using data from the King's Centre for Military Health Research and from a telephone survey [40]. The findings from the telephone survey showed that 9.7% of UKAF members had attempted suicide at least once during their lifetime.…”

Section: Uk Armed Forcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of suicidal male and female soldiers in various military forces

Nir¹

2021

JOMH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The gender paradox in suicidality is a documented phenomenon, the existence of which has been established by many studies in recent decades. However, despite being repeatedly shown to exist in civilian populations, it has not been researched much in military settings. This paper aims to explore the existence of the gender paradox in various military forces around the world, as reﬂected in the published literature and to assess the need for further investigation of the subject.

show abstract

“…This is particularly evident among younger males of lower ranks (Simkus et al, 2017; US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2019). Although there is less research available on suicidal ideation, plans and attempts, the available findings likewise indicate increased rates in veterans compared to both current serving and community samples in the United States (Nock et al, 2008), the United Kingdom (Jones et al, 2019) and Canada (Simkus et al, 2017).…”

Section: Prevalence Of Completed Suicides and Suicidality In Military Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide and suicidality in contemporary serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel

Sadler

Hooff

Bryant

et al. 2021

Aust N Z J Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: The risk of suicide in contemporary serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel is an area of significant concern, driving government-directed inquiries, community campaigns and most recently, the establishment of a permanent National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention. This concern is mirrored in international militaries and despite investment in prevention programmes, suicide is a leading cause of death in military populations. This review seeks to summarise recent findings from Australian research regarding the magnitude and factors associated with suicide and suicidality in contemporary serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force populations and discusses research findings, implications and future opportunities. Methods: Initial review of the prevalence of suicide and suicidality in the general community and military populations is presented, followed by review of recent research findings pertaining to suicides and suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts in contemporary serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel. Key findings are presented from the 2010 Australian Defence Force Mental Health and Wellbeing Prevalence Study and the 2015 Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme. Results: Differences between serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force cohorts were observed, with rates of completed suicide in ex-serving Australian Defence Force males more than double that of serving Australian Defence Force males, and increased risk for suicidality observed among those who had recently transitioned out of full-time Australian Defence Force service. Risk for increased suicidality and completed suicide is particularly evident for younger males of lower ranks, and those who have been medically discharged. Conclusions: The findings provide insight into career phases and groups that should be followed-up and targeted for prevention and early intervention programmes, including prior to and several years following transition out of full-time military service. Further research to better understand the factors that influence those who develop suicidal ideation, and those who progress to plans and attempts, will inform a more sophisticated approach to suicide prevention programmes.

show abstract

Suicidal Ideation, Suicidal Attempts, and Self‐Harm in the UK Armed Forces

Cited by 10 publications

References 50 publications

Encountering children and child soldiers during military deployments: the impact and implications for moral injury

Encountering children and child soldiers during military deployments: the impact and implications for moral injury

Characteristics of suicidal male and female soldiers in various military forces

Suicide and suicidality in contemporary serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About