Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

County Characteristics and Veteran Suicide in the United States, 2011-2018.

Denneson LM, Bollinger MJ, Phillips R, Chen JI, Carlson KF. County Characteristics and Veteran Suicide in the United States, 2011-2018. American journal of preventive medicine. 2024 Jun 19.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have examined county-level hotspots of veteran suicide and associated place-based contributors, limiting development of targeted community-level prevention strategies. The objectives of this national spatial analysis of all veteran suicides were to identify areas of the United States with higher-than-expected veteran suicide rates and determine county-level social and economic characteristics associated with areas of higher risk. METHODS: Using Bayesian hierarchical modeling, county-level standardized mortality ratios for veteran suicide deaths were estimated for time periods 2011-2018, 2011-2014, and 2015-2018. Adjusted relative risk, accounting for community characteristics, for each county was then estimated and associations between community characteristics and veteran suicide risk were examined. Analyses were conducted in 2023-2024. RESULTS: Risk of veteran suicide is predominantly concentrated in the Mountain West and West. Significant predictors of risk across all time periods were per capita number of firearm retailers (2011-2018 relative risk [RR] = 1.065 [95% credible interval [CI] 1.030-1.102]), the proportion of residents who moved in the past year (2011-2018 RR = 1.060 [95% CI 1.039-1.081]), the proportion of residents who live alone (2011-2018 RR = 1.067 [95% CI 1.046-1.089]), the proportion of residents in rental housing (2011-2018 RR = 1.041 [95% CI 1.018-1.065]), and the proportion of married residents (2011-2018 RR = 0.915 [95% CI 0.890-0.941]). CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to a comprehensive public health approach to veteran suicide prevention by identifying where resources are needed most, and which place-based intervention targets have the largest potential for impact. Findings suggest that public health efforts to address suicide among veterans should address community-level firearm access and identify ways to alleviate deleterious effects of social fragmentation.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.