Articles
Understanding Veteran Suicide by Firearm
Authors:
Angie Waliski ,
Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, US
About Angie
Research Health Scientist: Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
Assistant Instructor: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
Monica M. Matthieu,
Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR
School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO // MMatthie@slu.edu, US
James C. Townsend,
Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR, US
About James
Health Science Specialist: Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR
Janette McGaugh,
Psychiatrist: Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, US
About Janette
Psychiatrist: Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
JoAnna Kirchner
Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR; Director, VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) for Team-Based Behavioral Health, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR., US
About JoAnna
Psychiatrist: Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR; Director, VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) for Team-Based Behavioral Health, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, AR.
Abstract
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death with 42,773 reported deaths in the United States in 2014, half of those by firearm. Although veterans comprise only 13% of the U.S. population, they account for 20% of all suicide deaths. About 67% of these deaths are by firearm in the veteran population, compared to about 50% in the general public. Although researchers are learning more about suicide, factors that place a person at risk for, or protect a person from suicide by firearms, are not well understood. Few studies have specifically examined survivors of an acute attempt or serious ideation of suicide with firearms among veterans. This theoretical paper aims to describe the conceptual framework, measures, lessons learned, and implications for veterans’ scholarship from a mixed methods study on veteran survivors of a suicide attempt or ideation requiring hospitalization. Using a Department of Veterans Affairs funded pilot study as an example, we present the quantitative measures and qualitative interview topics selected for use in this study. While rigorous mixed methods research requires the use of two forms of data from research participants, best practices for research administration requires maximum researcher sensitivity and protocol adherence to ensure safety for this subpopulation.
How to Cite:
Waliski, A., Matthieu, M. M., Townsend, J. C., McGaugh, J., & Kirchner, J. (2017). Understanding Veteran Suicide by Firearm. Journal of Veterans Studies, 2(2), 91–109. DOI: http://doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v2i2.18
Published on
16 Oct 2017.
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