Psychology Department, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Psychology Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2024;15(1):2312756. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2312756. Epub 2024 Apr 3.
Higher alcohol use and military sexual assault (MSA) are associated with increased risk of death by suicide. Risk for death by suicide is rapidly increasing among females, who report higher rates of MSA, yet actual death by suicide and alcohol use are higher among males. It is not well understood whether higher alcohol use confers greater suicide risk in male or female service members and veterans who have experienced MSA. To determine whether the association between alcohol misuse and suicide risk was moderated by biological sex in a sample of male and female service members (= 400, 50% female) who reported MSA. Participants completed surveys of alcohol use and suicide risk as well as a demographic inventory. Linear regression with an interaction term was used to determine if suicide risk differed by sex and alcohol use severity after accounting for discharge status, sexual orientation, and age. Average scores on the suicide risk measure were consistent with an inpatient psychiatric sample and scores on the were indicative of a probable positive screen for alcohol misuse. Suicide risk was most pronounced among males who reported higher levels of hazardous alcohol use. A sensitivity analysis examining suicide risk by sex and screening results for alcohol misuse (positive/negative) showed that men with a probable positive screen had higher suicide risk. The current study provides novel findings on suicide risk among survivors of military sexual violence by including both male and female survivors. Interventions to decrease suicide risk following MSA may consider alcohol reduction strategies, and optimizing these interventions in males. Engaging military culture at both the US Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to encourage more healthy alcohol consumption may mitigate this public health concern. Future research may consider how country of origin relates to these associations.
较高的酒精使用量和军事性侵犯（MSA）与自杀死亡风险增加相关。自杀死亡的风险在女性中迅速增加，她们报告的 MSA 发生率更高，但自杀和酒精使用的实际死亡率在男性中更高。尚不清楚经历过 MSA 的男性或女性军人和退伍军人中，较高的酒精使用是否会带来更大的自杀风险。为了确定在经历过 MSA 的男性和女性军人样本（=400 人，其中 50%为女性）中，酒精滥用与自杀风险之间的关联是否受到生物性别调节。参与者完成了酒精使用和自杀风险的调查以及人口统计资料。使用带有交互项的线性回归来确定在考虑退役状态、性取向和年龄后，自杀风险是否因性别和酒精使用严重程度而有所不同。自杀风险衡量标准的平均得分与住院精神科样本一致，而衡量标准的得分表明酒精滥用的阳性筛查可能性较大。自杀风险在报告更高水平危险饮酒的男性中最为明显。一项按性别和酒精滥用筛查结果（阳性/阴性）检查自杀风险的敏感性分析表明，有阳性筛查结果的男性自杀风险更高。本研究通过纳入男性和女性幸存者，为军事性暴力幸存者的自杀风险提供了新的发现。减少 MSA 后自杀风险的干预措施可能会考虑减少酒精使用的策略，并在男性中优化这些干预措施。通过美国国防部和退伍军人事务部参与军事文化，鼓励更健康的饮酒方式可能会减轻这一公共卫生问题。未来的研究可以考虑原籍国与这些关联的关系。
