Lifetime Suicidal Behaviors and Career Characteristics Among U.S. Army Soldiers: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS)

Abstract

The current report presents data on lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and nonfatal attempts as reported by the large representative sample of U.S. Army soldiers who participated in the Consolidated All-Army Survey of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (N = 29,982). We also examine associations of key Army career characteristics with these outcomes. Prevalence estimates for lifetime suicide ideation are 12.7% among men and 20.1% among women, and for lifetime suicide attempts are 2.5% and 5.1%, respectively. Retrospective age-of-onset reports suggest that 53.4%-70% of these outcomes had preenlistment onsets. Results revealed that, for both men and women, being in the Regular Army, compared with being in the National Guard or Army Reserve, and being in an enlisted rank, compared with being an officer, is associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviors and that this elevated risk is present both before and after joining the Army.

Figure 1

Age-of-onset and speed of transition curves for lifetime suicide ideation, attempts, plan among ideators, and attempts among those with and without a plan. Note: Age of onset curves (i.e. ideation and attempt in the total sample) were measured starting at age 4 of life. Speed of transition curves (i.e. plan among ideators, attempts among ideators with and without a plan) were measured starting at the first year after ideation.