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

Mental Health and Self-directed Violence Among Student Service Members/Veterans in Postsecondary Education.

Blosnich JR, Kopacz MS, McCarten J, Bossarte RM. Mental Health and Self-directed Violence Among Student Service Members/Veterans in Postsecondary Education. Journal of American College Health : J of Ach. 2015 Jan 1; 63(7):418-26.

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:

OBJECTIVES: Using a sample of student service members/veterans, the current study aimed to examine the prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses and suicide-related outcomes and the association of hazardous duty with mental health. PARTICIPANTS: Data are from the Fall 2011 National College Health Assessment (N = 27,774). METHODS: Logistic regression was used to examine (1) the association of student service member/veteran status with mental health outcomes and (2) the association of hazardous duty with mental health outcomes among student service members/veterans (n = 706). RESULTS: Student service members/veterans had higher odds of self-harm than students without military experience. Among student service members/veterans, hazardous duty was positively associated (odds ratio [OR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.30, 3.07]) with having a psychiatric diagnosis but negatively associated (OR = 0.41, 95% CI [0.20, 0.85]) with suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: Self-harm may be a unique phenomenon among service members/veterans. Suicide prevention with this population should include information about self-harm, and future research should explore whether suicidal intent underlies self-harm.




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.