Abstract
To assess U.S. veterans’ awareness and participation in suicide prevention programs offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A nationally representative sample of 1002 veterans was surveyed online in 2018. The majority of veterans reported knowing about Vet Centers (72%), the Veterans Crisis Line (65%), and the VA Center for Suicide Prevention (54%). However, only 5% had attended a community event related to veteran suicide and 2% had used VA’s Virtual Hope Box. Veterans aware of the Veterans Crisis Line had more medical conditions and were more likely to report VA as their primary healthcare provider. Veterans aware of VA’s Center for Suicide Prevention were younger, male, had more medical conditions, and more likely to screen positive for posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and past homelessness. History of suicidal ideation or attempt was not associated with awareness of suicide prevention programs. VA’s suicide prevention programs reach a broad segment of the veteran population, including those with and without histories of suicidality. More targeted outreach may be needed for veterans most at-risk for suicide who are unaware of available resources.
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Funding
Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through a Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) 1 Strategic Objective Research Team grant. We acknowledge Michael Mayo-Smith, MD and William Boden, MD for their support for this study.
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All study procedures were approved by the institutional review board at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and informed consent was obtained by the contractor Barbaricum. The views presented here are of the authors alone and do not represent the views of the U.S. government or any federal agency.
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Tsai, J., Snitkin, M., Trevisan, L. et al. Awareness of Suicide Prevention Programs Among U.S. Military Veterans. Adm Policy Ment Health 47, 115–125 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-019-00975-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-019-00975-6