Non-medical risk factors influencing health and association with suicidal ideation or attempt, U.S. active component, 2018-2022.

Abstract

This study documents, for the first time, the frequency of diagnosis for non-medical risk factors influencing health among U.S. active component service members. An association is identified between non-medical risk factors and suicide ideation or attempt within 1 year following diagnosis of the risk factor. This study reports the prevalence of non-medical risk factors, also known as social determinants of health, among active component service members and assesses the relationship between these factors and suicide ideation or attempts between 2018 and 2022. This analysis was performed to determine if there is opportunity to prevent suicide ideation or attempt among service members indicated for these non-medical risk factors. The findings reveal differences between demographic variables, emphasizing the disproportionate impacts of non-medical risk factors within the military population. For example, non-Hispanic Black service members had higher frequencies of diagnoses for all factors. After controlling for age, sex, service branch, race, and year of entry into military service, odds of suicidal ideation or attempt were elevated for service members with a recent diagnosis for factors related to abuse (odds ratio [OR] 13.7), family upbringing (OR 10.9), other psychosocial issues (OR 7.5), social environment (OR 7.4), lifestyle (OR 5.4), and life management (OR 5.3). This finding persisted even after excluding individuals with any prior mental health diagnosis. The results of this study suggest a need for a more comprehensive understanding of non-medical risk factors in shaping health outcomes and informing interventions to mitigate their effects.