A new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo poses questions against the presumption that suicides are directly related to war.
The study, "A Historical Comparison of U.S. Army & U.S. Civilian Suicide Rates, 1900-2020," suggested that the suicide rate among U.S. Army and civilian men has increased to a "worrisome" level since 2006. However, war is no longer the driving force behind these kinds of deaths, according to the study, and societal factors could be at the forefront of concern.
"From what we can tell, at least from 1900 to 2020, it does not appear as though combat exposure or war is the primary driver of suicide rates for U.S. civilian men nor for U.S. soldiers," said Jeffrey Smith, co-author and professor at UH Hilo.
Hilo researchers conducted the longest comparison ever done on U.S. Army and civilian suicides, according to UH. They compared historical data and research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics System within a 120-year period to release their official findings last month.
The study, which can be found in the scientific journal Psychiatry Research, is a follow-up to a previously published article that examined suicide military records from 1819 to 2017.
While this newest study concluded that war may not be the primary cause of suicide anymore, researchers have not yet said the actual cause.
"In other words, societal and cultural factors likely play a much larger role in military suicides than the military-specific factors of combat trauma or posttraumatic stress disorder, per se,” said Christopher Frueh, co-author and professor at UH Hilo, said in a press release.
Data also showed that military and civilian suicide rates fluctuate similarly and that "universal factors," other than combat, can affect all.
Suicide prevention resources: Call 988 or visit Sprc.org for more information.
