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Veterans Justice Programs: Assessing Population Risks for Suicide Deaths and Attempts
Kristen M Palframan1, Jessica Blue-Howells2, Sean C Clark2
1Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior
|March 10, 2020
Summary
Veterans in the Justice Program showed higher suicide risks. This includes suicide and suicide attempts, highlighting the need for targeted prevention efforts within the Veterans Health Administration.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Veterans Affairs
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Understanding suicide risks in veteran subpopulations is critical.
- The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) aims to identify and support at-risk veterans.
- The Veterans Justice Program (VJP) serves veterans involved in the justice system, a group that may face unique challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess suicide and suicide attempt risks among VHA Veterans Justice Program (VJP) service recipients.
- To compare these risks against other VHA users.
- To inform VHA suicide prevention strategies.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 5,401,192 VHA users from 2012 was analyzed.
- Veterans receiving Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) or Health Care for Reentry Veterans (HCRV) services were identified.
- Multivariable proportional hazards regression analyzed suicide and attempt risks from 2013-2016, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Veterans with VJO services had increased adjusted risks for suicide (HR=1.25) and suicide attempts (HR=1.06).
- Veterans with HCRV services showed elevated adjusted risks for suicide attempts (HR=1.42).
- Increased risks for other external causes of mortality were also observed.
Conclusions:
- Recipients of VJP services exhibit a higher risk of suicidal behavior.
- These findings underscore the importance of targeted suicide prevention for veterans engaged with the justice system.
- The VHA utilizes these results to enhance suicide prevention initiatives.
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