Brothers in Arms: The Role of Belongingness in Military Suicide Prevention

Abstract

The rates of suicide among US military personnel and veterans are unacceptably high. The US government and DoD are already doing a great deal to tackle the issue, but a more nuanced approach is now required. Thomas E. Joiners Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS), which posits that thwarted belongingness is one of three necessary factors for someone to die by suicide, may hold the key to this nuanced approach. This paper theorizes that military personnel are accustomed to uniquely-high levels of belongingness that result in extreme troughs following transitional events, which can increase their vulnerability to suicide. It recommends that military suicide prevention programs should harness the power of camaraderie to generate, maintain, and maximize belongingness, in order to neutralize these troughs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 28, 2017
Accession Number
AD1176559

Entities

People

  • William R Norcott

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan Conflict
  • Air Force
  • Army Personnel
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Training
  • Naval Personnel
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Social Media
  • Students
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.
  • Strategic Security Studies