Tripp Jessica C, McDevitt-Murphy Meghan E, Henschel Aisling V
Department of Psychology, The University of Memphis.
Psychol Trauma. 2016 Sep;8(5):626-633. doi: 10.1037/tra0000085. Epub 2015 Oct 12.
Combat veterans are at risk for several adverse outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, hazardous alcohol use, and most critically, suicidal behaviors. The high rate of suicide in veterans has been understood as a correlate of PTSD and depression, but it is possible that certain specific types of combat experiences may lead to suicidal behaviors. Acts committed by veterans in the context of war such as killing may evoke a "moral injury," which leads to thoughts of ending one's life.
The present exploratory research examined relationships between combat experiences and suicidal ideation (SI) and PTSD in a sample of 68 Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans (91% male, mean age = 32.31 years) who had screened positive for alcohol misuse. We examined firing a weapon/killing in combat (Firing/Killing) and killing in combat (Killing) alone as predictors of SI and PTSD severity in both the full sample and men only.
Firing/Killing were associated with SI for the full sample and men only, and Killing showed a trend toward significance in predicting SI. Hierarchical regression analyses suggested that Firing/Killing did not predict PTSD for the full sample or men only, but Killing was predictive of PTSD for both samples.
These results indicate that there may be differences in Firing/Killing and Killing alone in OEF/OIF veterans who screened positive for alcohol misuse. Thorough screening of combat experiences and addressing moral injury in returning combat veterans may help reduce high rates of suicide and PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record
退伍军人面临多种不良后果的风险，如创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）、抑郁症、危险饮酒，最关键的是自杀行为。退伍军人的高自杀率一直被认为与PTSD和抑郁症有关，但某些特定类型的战斗经历可能导致自杀行为。退伍军人在战争背景下实施的行为，如杀人，可能会引发“道德伤害”，从而导致自杀念头。
本探索性研究调查了68名持久自由行动和伊拉克自由行动（OEF/OIF）退伍军人（91%为男性，平均年龄 = 32.31岁）中战斗经历与自杀意念（SI）和PTSD之间的关系，这些退伍军人酒精滥用筛查呈阳性。我们将在战斗中开枪/杀人（开枪/杀人）和仅在战斗中杀人（杀人）作为全样本和仅男性样本中SI和PTSD严重程度的预测因素进行研究。
开枪/杀人与全样本及仅男性样本的SI相关，杀人在预测SI方面显示出显著趋势。分层回归分析表明，开枪/杀人在全样本或仅男性样本中均不能预测PTSD，但杀人对两个样本的PTSD均有预测作用。
这些结果表明，在酒精滥用筛查呈阳性的OEF/OIF退伍军人中，仅开枪/杀人和杀人可能存在差异。对战斗经历进行全面筛查并解决退伍军人的道德伤害问题，可能有助于降低高自杀率和PTSD发生率。（PsycINFO数据库记录
