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Suicide Risk Among US Veterans With Military Service During the Vietnam War
Tim A Bullman1, Fatema Z Akhtar1, Sybil W Morley2
1Health Outcomes Military Exposures, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Washington, DC.
JAMA Network Open
|December 28, 2023
Summary
Vietnam War veterans did not have an increased risk of suicide compared to the general population. This study analyzed over 9 million Vietnam War-era veterans from 1979 to 2019.
Area of Science:
- Military Health
- Epidemiology
- Veterans Affairs
Background:
- Persistent questions exist regarding suicide rates among US veterans of the Vietnam War.
- Previous beliefs suggested a potential increased risk of suicide for Vietnam War veterans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if military service in the Vietnam War correlated with a higher suicide risk.
- To quantify suicides and analyze patterns among Vietnam War theater veterans compared to the US population.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study tracked Vietnam War-era and theater veterans from 1979 to 2019.
- Suicide mortality was identified using the National Death Index.
- Cox proportional hazards regression and standardized mortality rates were employed for analysis.
Main Results:
- The study included over 2.4 million theater veterans and over 7.1 million non-theater veterans.
- Vietnam War deployment was not associated with an increased suicide risk (HR, 0.94).
- Neither theater nor non-theater veterans showed an increased suicide risk compared to the US population (SMR, 0.97 for both).
Conclusions:
- No association was found between Vietnam War-era service and increased suicide risk from 1979-2019.
- The total number of suicides among Vietnam War-era veterans warrants continued attention from policymakers and mental health professionals.
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