National Center for Veterans Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2019 Feb;49(1):41-53. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12401. Epub 2017 Oct 3.
Sexual harassment has been associated with suicidal behaviors, and with the rise in suicides in the U.S. military, sexual harassment's role in suicide has been of growing interest. Lacking are studies that examine group- or unit-level variables in the relationship of sexual harassment to suicidal behaviors (thoughts, plans, and attempts). In this study, survey data from soldiers (12,567 soldiers in 180 company-sized units) who completed the Unit Risk Inventory administered during calendar year 2010 were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. At the individual level, sexual harassment was associated with a fivefold increase for risk of suicide. Reporting that leaders could be trusted was associated with a decreased suicide risk by about one-third. There was no statistically significant interaction between sexual harassment and trusted leaders in predicting the suicidal behaviors. At the group level, units or companies having higher levels of sexual harassment also had soldiers three times more at risk for suicide. A cross-leveling effect was also observed: Among units having higher levels of sexual harassment, the negative correlation (buffering effect of unit leaders on suicidal behaviors) was diminished. Implications of findings for preventing sexual harassment and suicide risk are discussed.
性骚扰与自杀行为有关，而随着美国军队自杀人数的增加，性骚扰在自杀中的作用引起了越来越多的关注。目前缺乏研究来检验性骚扰与自杀行为（想法、计划和尝试）之间的群体或单位变量之间的关系。在这项研究中，使用分层线性建模分析了在 2010 年日历年期间完成单位风险清单调查的士兵（180 个连级单位的 12567 名士兵）的调查数据。在个体层面上，性骚扰与自杀风险增加五倍有关。报告说领导值得信赖，自杀风险降低约三分之一。在预测自杀行为方面，性骚扰与值得信赖的领导之间没有统计学上显著的相互作用。在群体层面上，性骚扰程度较高的单位或公司，士兵自杀的风险也高出三倍。还观察到跨层次效应：在性骚扰程度较高的单位中，负面相关关系（单位领导对自杀行为的缓冲作用）减弱。讨论了防止性骚扰和自杀风险的发现的意义。
