Deployment-Related Traumatic Events and Suicidal Behaviours in a Nationally Representative Sample of Canadian Armed Forces Personnel
Open accessAbstract
Objective: Worldwide, there has been substantial controversy with respect to whether military deployment is a risk factor for suicidal behaviour. The present study examined the relationship between lifetime exposure to deployment and deployment-related traumatic events (DRTEs) and past-year suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal plans (SP), and suicidal attempts (SA). Method: Data were analysed from the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (8161 respondents; response rate, 79.8%; aged 18-60 years). A total of 12 individual items assessed exposure to DRTEs (e.g., combat, witnessing human atrocities, feeling responsible for the death of Canadian or ally personnel, knowing someone who was injured or killed). We examined each individual DRTE type as well as the number of types of DRTEs in relation to suicidal behaviour. Results: Lifetime deployment was not significantly associated with suicidal behaviour. In models adjusted for sociodemographic variables, most of the individual DRTE items and the DRTE count variable were significantly associated with suicidal behaviours (adjusted odds ratio ranged between 1.10 and 5.32). When further adjusting for child abuse exposure, these associations were minimally attenuated, and some became nonsignificant. In models adjusting for mental disorders and child abuse, most DRTEs and number of types of DRTEs became nonsignificant in relation to SI, SP, and SA. Conclusions: Active military personnel exposed to increasing number of DRTEs are at increased risk for SI, SP, and SA. However, most of the association between DRTEs and suicidal behaviour is accounted for by child abuse exposure and mental disorders.
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A significant relationship has been identified between traumatic events during deployment and mental disorders and suicide.
“a significant relationship was identified between traumatic events during deployment and mental disorders and suicide.6,21,22”
From Mental Disorder Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel in Canada (2018) · cites this paper as [22]
The Discussion reports a relationship between deployment-related traumatic events and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts, and says mental disorders accounted for much of that relationship. It describes an established relationship between deployment experiences and mental disorders, but does not present that as a finding of this study. It also studied suicidal behaviours, not deaths by suicide. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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- Authors
- Sareen, J., Afifi, T. O., Taillieu, T., Cheung, K., Turner, S., Stein, M. B., & Zamorski, M. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Manitoba (CA)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- University of Ottawa (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Sareen, Jitender
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-05-10
- Volume
- 62
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 795-804
- ISSN
- 0706-7437 (ISSN-L)
- 1497-0015
- PMC
- PMC5697623
- OpenAlex
- W2613983447
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 2.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- QSpace (Queen's University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (333252)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
- Keywords
- suicidal ideation, suicide planning, suicide attempts, military deployment, military personnel, combat exposure, mental illness, Canadian Armed Forces
- MeSH terms
- Psychological Trauma, Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, Canada, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Military Personnel, Suicide, Suicide, Attempted, Time Factors, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, Young Adult, Suicidal Ideation
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