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Nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide attempts in Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans
Nathan A Kimbrel1, Bryann B DeBeer2, Eric C Meyer2
1Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Abstract:
The present study examined the association between history of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and history of suicide attempts (SA) among 292 Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, half of whom carried a lifetime diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Consistent with hypotheses, veterans who reported a history of NSSI were significantly more likely to report a history of SA than veterans without a history of NSSI. In addition, logistic regression demonstrated that NSSI remained a significant predictor of SA even after a wide range of covariates (i.e., combat exposure, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, depression, alcohol dependence) were considered. Taken together, these findings suggest that clinicians working with veterans should include NSSI history as part of their standard risk assessment battery.