Suicide in the U.S. Army: Epidemiological and Periodic Aspects

Rothberg, Joseph M.; Jones, Franklin D.

doi:10.1111/j.1943-278x.1987.tb01025.x

Cited by 48 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…In the Army suicide studies (Rothberg & Jones, 1987;Rock, 1988;Rothberg et al, 1988), the female suicide rates have been similar to males and have followed the same declining pattern (15.2 in 1977-1978, 9.9 in 1983-1984). The Army studies speculate that "efforts to improve the status of women in the Army played a role in this reduction but we lack data to test this hypothesis (Rothberg et al, 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Suicide research for U.S. Army personnel (Rothberg & Jones, 1987;Rock, 1988;Rothberg et al, 1988), indicates that Army suicide rates have been in steady decline since -1976 the annual crude suicide rate was 16.4; in 1977-1978 it was 14.8; in 1979-1980 it was 11.6; in 1981-1982 (with late reports) it was 11.4; and in 1983-1984 it was 10.00 (Rothberg et al, 1988)." The implications are that the increases found in the Navy over a similar period cannot be due to a military-wide set of circumstances.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although studies of suicides among Navy personnel have been conducted in the past (Chaffee, 1982;Palinkas, 1985;Chaffee & Coben 1983;Spaulding & Edwards, 1975;Schuckit & Gunderson, 1974), this research has not been as consistent or as comprehensive as the biennial surveys of suicide among Army personnel conducted by the Division of Neuropsychiatry at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Datel & Johnson, 1979;Rothberg, Rock, Shaw & Jones, 1988;Datel, Jones & Esposito, 1981;Datel & Jones, 1982;Rothberg, 2 Rock & Jones, 1984;Rothberg & Jones, 1987). A comparable program of research among Navy personnel would help to resolve some major issues.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Suicides In Active-Duty Enlisted Navy Personnel

Kawahara¹,

Palinkas²,

Burr³

et al. 1989

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Althou"Ir studies of suicidcs among Navy* prs6nnel *1 h' cn cducted in the-p p " f is mhi not "ecni as consistent or as comprehensive as the biennial surveys of suicide among Army periml conductcd by the Division of Ncuropsychialry at Walter Rccd Army Institute of Research. A comparable program of research among Navy personnel would help to resolve some major issues.For instance, studies of the incidence of completed suicide and destructive behavior in the Navy have bccn limited by the lack of comprehensive data on population at risk.Obiective \'The two objectives in this paper were first, to identify potential demographic and service-related risk factors associated with completed suicides among enlisted Navy personnel during a 12-year period, 1974 to 1985, and, second, to examine the severity of rates of completed suicide in the U.S. Navy relative to similar rates in the United States general population and determine the extent to which patterns of completed suicide in the two populations were similar to, or different from, one another.Cases of completed suicid-, among U.S. Navy enlisted personnel occurring during I January 1974 to 31 December 1985 were identified from a computerized Enlisted Service History File edited and maintained by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, California. The case selection criteria were the presence of both a code of 952 (died) in the last event and a code of 890 (suicide) in the Department of Defense Loss Code. The Enlisted Service History File also was u .ilizcd to calculate the person years at risk during the study period for all active-duty enlisted -personnel.. .Age-specific. and. age-adjutted'Ifi Ortality rates were calculated, for, the study population. (5,657,150 person years). Data for the total United States were obtained from the Statistial Abstracts of the United States. Variables analyzed in this study included age, sex, race, occupation, and year dicd. Occupational classifications were grouped into five categories based on similarity of assigned tasks and work environment. ResultsDuring the years 1974 through 1985, there was a total of 373 confirmed suicides for an average of 32 cases per year based on the criteria described above. The suicide rate was 6.59 per 100,000 person-years. Even though 80 percent of suicides were under the age of 30 years, no consistent association between age and suicide was observed. The Navy suicide rates were lower than in the U.S., but, from 1977 to 1983, the Navy suicide rates in the 17 to 24 age group have been showing a trend toward increasing while the U.S. rates appear to be stabilizing or even slightly decreasing.Female suicide rates are significantly lower (50%) than that found in males. The rates of white suicides tended to be higher than for nonwhites, but the differences were not significant. In the U.S. population, whites have a significantly higher suicide rate than blacks. Age-related suicide risk among men in the Navy and in the U.S. population appear to differ by race. Only four of the 109 specific occup...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Suicides In Active-Duty Enlisted Navy Personnel

Kawahara¹,

Palinkas²,

Burr³

et al. 1989

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“…[14][15][16][17][18][19] However, in ambiguous instances LD investigators may err toward identifying cases of suicide as accidental. 19 Dennett and Howard used LD investigations in a descriptive study of demographic characteristics of DoN suicides.…”

Section: History Of Suicide Research In the Donmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1,2,5,18 However, subgroup rate comparisons must be interpreted cautiously. The small size of some, particularly within the Marine Corps, made it difficult to reliably estimate suicide rates based on only 3 years of data collection.…”

Section: Suicide Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surveillance of Completed Suicide in the Department of the Navy

Stander¹,

Hilton²,

Kennedy³

et al. 2003

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A Historical Examination of Military Records of US Army Suicide, 1819 to 2017

et al. 2019

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IMPORTANCESuicide rates among active-duty personnel in the US military have increased substantially since 2004, and numerous studies have attempted to contextualize and better understand this phenomenon. Placing contemporary examinations of suicides among active-duty personnel in the US Army in historical context provides opportunities for joint historical and epidemiological research to inform health care professionals and policy makers. OBJECTIVES To consolidate data on suicide rates among active-duty personnel in the US Army as far back as historical records allow and to identify historical trends to separate them from more acute causal factors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study included all active-duty service members in the US Army from 1819 to 2017 as identified and detailed in US government publications, studies, and journal articles. Empirical data were extracted from US government publications and journal articles published from 1819 to 2017. Data collection and analysis were completed between July and August of 2019. EXPOSURE Suicide. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Suicide rates per 100 000 individuals. RESULTSStarting in 1843, the overall trend in annual suicide rates among active-duty service members in the US Army increased, with a peak rate of 118.3 per 100 000 in 1883. From that historical high point, the rate decreased in 3 successive waves, each corresponding to the end of the following wars: the Spanish-American War (1898), World War I (1914-1918), and World War II (1939-1945. The latter had the historically lowest rate of 5 per 100 000 in 1944 to 1945. During the Cold War (approximately 1945War (approximately -1991, the rate generally stabilized in the low teens to midteens (ie, 10-15 per 100 000). The rate increased again during the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, increasing to 29.7 per 100 000 in 2012. From 2008 to present, the annual rate has remained within the range of 20.2 to 29.7 per 100 000. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEThis study represents the most extensive historical examination of suicides in the US Army to date. By taking a long-term historical approach to suicide among active-duty personnel in the US Army, this study affords future researchers a new analytical tool and an additional perspective from which to better differentiate long-term and historical trends from more short-term and temporary causal factors.

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Suicide in the U.S. Army: Epidemiological and Periodic Aspects

Cited by 48 publications

References 8 publications

Suicides In Active-Duty Enlisted Navy Personnel

Suicides In Active-Duty Enlisted Navy Personnel

Surveillance of Completed Suicide in the Department of the Navy

A Historical Examination of Military Records of US Army Suicide, 1819 to 2017

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