TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Social closeness and support are associated with lower risk of suicide among U.S. Army soldiers
JO  - Suicide and life-threatening behavior
A1  - Dempsey, Catherine L.
A1  - Benedek, David M.
A1  - Nock, Matthew K.
A1  - Zuromski, Kelly L.
A1  - Brent, David A.
A1  - Ao, Jingning
A1  - Aliaga, Pablo A.
A1  - Heeringa, Steven G.
A1  - Kessler, Ronald C.
A1  - Stein, Murray B.
A1  - Ursano, Robert J.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - OBJECTIVE: We tested the aspects of social support, unit cohesion, and religiosity hypothesized to be protective factors for suicide among U.S. service members. <br><br>METHODS: This case-control study compared U.S. Army soldiers who died by suicide while on active duty (n = 135) to controls of two types: those propensity score-matched on known sociodemographic risk factors (n = 128); and those controls who had thought about, but not died by, suicide in the past year (n = 108). Data included structured interviews of next of kin (NOK) and Army supervisors (SUP) for each case and control soldier. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine predictors of suicide. <br><br>RESULTS: Perceived social closeness and seeking help from others were associated with decreased odds of suicide, as reported by SUP (OR = 0.2 [95% CI = 0.1, 0.5]) and NOK (OR = 0.4 [95% CI = 0.2, 0.8]). Novel reports by SUP informants of high levels of unit cohesion/morale decreased odds of suicide (OR = 0.1 [95% CI = 0.0, 0.2]). Contrary to study hypotheses, no religious affiliation was associated with lower odds of suicide (OR = 0.3 [95% CI = 0.2, 0.6]). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Perceived social closeness and unit/group cohesion are associated with lower odds of suicide. These results point toward social intervention strategies as testable components of suicide prevention programs.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0363-0234
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12778
ID  - ref1
ER  -