Combat experience and the acquired capability for suicide

• Published in: Journal of clinical psychology Vol. 66; no. 10; pp. 1044 - 1056
• Main Authors: Bryan, Craig J., Cukrowicz, Kelly C., West, Christopher L., Morrow, Chad E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.10.2010; Wiley; Wiley Periodicals Inc
• Subjects: acquired capability; Adaptation, Psychological; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical psychology; Female; Humans; interpersonal-psychological theory; Iraq War, 2003-2011; Linear Models; Male; Medical sciences; Mental depression; military; Military deployment; Military personnel; Military Personnel - psychology; Occupational Exposure - analysis; perceived burdensomeness; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk factors; Social Desirability; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Suicide; Suicide - psychology; Suicides & suicide attempts; Surveys and Questionnaires; thwarted belongingness; Warfare; Iraq; Human; Fighting; Suicide; interpersonal-psychological theory; Personal experience; Theoretical model; Social interaction; Risk factor; Membership; perceived burdensomeness; thwarted belongingness; acquired capability; Interpersonal relation; Military
• ISSN: 0021-9762; 1097-4679
• DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20703

Rising suicide rates are an increasing concern among military personnel. The interpersonal‐psychological theory of suicide proposes that three necessary factors are needed to die by suicide: feelings that one does not belong with other people, feelings that one is a burden on others or society, and an acquired capability to overcome the fear and pain associated with suicide. The current study tests the theory's proposal that acquired capability may be particularly influenced by military experience, because combat exposure may cause habituation to fear of painful experiences such as suicide. Utilizing clinical and nonclinical samples of military personnel deployed to Iraq, results of the current study indicate that a greater range of combat experiences predicts acquired capability above and beyond depression and post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms, previous suicidality, and other common risk factors for suicide. Combat experiences did not, however, predict perceived burdensomeness or thwarted belongingness. The authors discuss how combat experiences might serve as a mechanism for elevating suicide risk and implications for clinical interventions and suicide prevention efforts. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: 66:1–13, 2010.