Factors Related to Suicidal Ideation in Iranian Soldiers

Suicidal thoughts are one of the main risk factors for suicide attempts, so understanding the factors associated with suicidal ideation in soldiers can be important in preventing and treating suicide in military environments. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the demographic factors of soldiers and their experience of suicidal ideation.

In a cross-sectional study, 150 soldiers were selected from military barracks in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province and answered the Beck Suicide Thought Questionnaire and the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire. ANOVA and t-tests were used to analyze the data.

The findings of the present study showed that among the demographic factors of age, educational status, indigenous or non-indigenous, marital status, and length of service only native or non-native soldiers have a significant relationship with the experience of suicidal ideation (T = -2.033, P<0.05).

The findings of the present study showed that the non-native soldiers reported significantly more suicidal ideation than the native ones and this issue should be addressed by the officials and psychologists of military centers through more support, including providing facilities such as granting long vacations, working in less stressful tasks and psychological care such as conducting preliminary screenings and holding individual and group counseling for non-native soldiers.