Coincident alcohol dependence and depression increases risk of suicidal ideation among Army National Guard soldiers.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Suicide rates among military service members have risen dramatically, while drivers remain poorly understood. We examined the relationship between coincident alcohol dependence and depression in shaping risk of suicidal ideation among National Guard forces.

METHODS:

We performed a longitudinal analysis using a randomly selected, population-based sample of Ohio Army National Guard soldiers. Telephone-based surveys of 1582 soldiers who participated in both wave 1 (2008-2009) and wave 2 (2009-2010) were analyzed.

RESULTS:

Odds ratios (ORs) for suicidal ideation among those with versus without alcohol dependence were similar among nondepressed (OR = 3.85 [95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 1.18-12.52]) and depressed individuals (OR = 3.13 [95% CI = 0.88-11.14]); multiplicative interaction was not observed. In contrast, the risk differences (RDs) among those with versus without alcohol dependence diverged for those without depression (RD = 0.04 [95% CI = 0.02-0.07]) compared with those with depression (RD = 0.11 [95% CI = 0.06-0.18]); strong evidence of additive interaction was observed.

CONCLUSIONS:

We found that alcohol dependence and depression interact statistically in shaping risk for incident suicidal ideation among Army National Guard service members. A high-risk prevention approach including population-based screening for suicidality among patients with alcohol dependence, depression, and particularly those with both conditions is warranted in military populations.

• Authors: Gregory H Cohen, David S Fink, Laura Sampson, Marijo Tamburrino, Israel Liberzon, Joseph R Calabrese, Sandro Galea
• Journal: Annals of epidemiology (Ann Epidemiol) Vol. 27 Issue 3 Pg. 157-163.e1 (03 2017) ISSN: 1873-2585 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 28139369 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adult
• Alcoholism (epidemiology, psychology)
• Depressive Disorder (epidemiology, psychology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Military Personnel (psychology)
• Ohio (epidemiology)
• Risk Factors
• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic (epidemiology, psychology)
• Suicidal Ideation
• Suicide (psychology, statistics & numerical data)