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Sleep disturbance preceding suicide among veterans
Wilfred R Pigeon1, Peter C Britton, Mark A Ilgen
1VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Canandaigua Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA. Wilfred_pigeon@urmc.rochester.edu
American Journal of Public Health
|March 7, 2012
Summary
Sleep disturbance was linked to faster suicide times among veterans after their last treatment visit. This finding highlights sleep issues as a potential indicator for suicide risk and an intervention target.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Sleep Medicine
- Veterans Health
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are common in veterans.
- Understanding factors influencing suicide risk in veterans is critical.
- The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) serves a large veteran population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sleep disturbance and the time to suicide among veterans.
- To determine if sleep disturbance predicts a shorter interval to suicide after a VHA treatment visit.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective chart review was conducted on 381 veteran suicide decedents with VHA visits in their last year of life.
- Veterans were categorized based on the presence (45.4%) or absence (54.6%) of documented sleep disturbance.
- An accelerated failure time model was used to compare time to death since the last VHA visit.
Main Results:
- Veterans with documented sleep disturbance died significantly sooner after their last VHA visit compared to those without.
- This association remained significant after adjusting for mental health symptoms, substance use, age, and geographic region.
Conclusions:
- Sleep disturbance is a significant factor associated with time to suicide in veterans.
- Identifying sleep disturbance may aid in detecting near-term suicide risk.
- Addressing sleep disturbance could be a crucial intervention strategy for at-risk veterans.
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