Under Reporting of Suicide Ideation in US Army Population Screening: An Ongoing Challenge
Abstract
Previous research in US Army Soldiers shows rates of mental health concerns as two to four times higher on anonymous surveys than on postdeployment health assessments. In this study, Soldiers presenting for health reassessment completed two questionnaires on suicide risk factors: one linked to the health assessment and one anonymous. About 5.1% of respondents reported suicide ideation on the anonymous questionnaire, 3.0% on the linked questionnaire, and 0.9% on the health reassessment. About 56.4% who reported suicide ideation anonymously told nobody of their thoughts. Current screening procedures identify only one in seven Soldiers experiencing suicide ideation and highlight the need for alternative risk‐detection strategies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 15, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1111/sltb.12318
Entities
People
- Alan L. Peterson
- Bonnie K. Andrews
- David C. Atkins
- Katherine A Dondanville
- Stacey Young‐mccaughan
- Steven D. Vannoy
- The Strong Star Consortium
Organizations
- United States Army Medical Research and Development Command
- University of Massachusetts
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- University of Texas at San Antonio
- University of Washington