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Self-harm in the UK military
L A Hines1, K Jawahar, S Wessely
1King's Centre for Military Health Research, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London SE5 9RJ, UK.
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|June 11, 2013
Summary
Self-harm in the UK military affects 2.3% of personnel. Unlike deployment, factors like childhood adversity and limited social support in adulthood are linked to self-harm risk.
Area of Science:
- Military health research
- Psychological well-being in armed forces
- Public health epidemiology
Background:
- Self-harm prevalence in the UK military is estimated between 1-5.6%, compared to 4.9% in the general UK population.
- Understanding specific risk factors within military populations is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the overall prevalence of self-harm in the UK military.
- To investigate the association between military deployment and self-harm.
- To identify sociodemographic and social factors linked to self-harm within this population.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was employed.
- Data was collected via a postal survey of UK military personnel.
- A large sample size of 9803 respondents was analyzed.
Main Results:
- The overall prevalence of self-harm in the UK military was found to be 2.3%.
- Self-harm was not significantly associated with deployment status.
- Key associations included being discharged/separated, lower rank, female gender, younger age, lack of social support, fewer social activities, childhood care experience, and adverse family relationships.
Conclusions:
- Contrary to expectations, military deployment was not found to be a predictor of self-harm.
- Self-harm in the UK military is significantly associated with the availability of social support, both in childhood and adulthood.
- Findings highlight the importance of social support systems in mitigating self-harm risk within the military community.
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