Deployment and suicide: a review finds uncertain evidence
Pooled studies did not show a clear increase in suicide deaths associated with deployment, but substantial bias limits the interpretation.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
This review found little evidence that deployment was associated with increased suicide mortality. That does not establish that deployment has no effect, or that it is protective. The underlying studies had serious problems with selection and uncontrolled differences between groups. Evidence about combat exposure was too limited and inconsistent to support a conclusion.
The authors rated study bias as high to very high. This abstract-based account cannot resolve how exposure definitions, group selection, or the timing of follow-up affected individual study results.
Deployment and combat were separate questions
The researchers could pool some studies of deployment and suicide deaths. They could not pool the combat-exposure studies because definitions differed, leaving suicide attempts and deaths following combat without a reliable overall conclusion.
Lower observed risk may reflect study design
Some studies suggested lower suicide risk after deployment. The authors cautioned that selection and the way time at risk was counted could explain this pattern, so those associations should not be interpreted as a protective effect.
The original publication
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of deployment and combat exposures on suicide attempts and deaths.
Skopp NA, Smolenski DJ, Boyd C et al.
J Psychiatr Res · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40876295
- Record checked
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