Investigating the Relationship Between Mental Health and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Military Personnel: A Systematic Review

Soldiers and veterans with higher psychological vulnerability may be more affected by military and war conditions and show suicidal thoughts and self-harm than others. In this regard, the present study investigated the relationship between mental health and thoughts and behaviors related to suicide among military personnel.

This research was applied in terms of purpose and systematic review in terms of data collection. In the current research, by using specialized keywords search, suicidal thoughts, suicidal behavior, soldier, veteran, post-traumatic stress, mental health, depression, anxiety, stress, self-harm, violence, military, and war in the base. English databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, ISI, Scopus, and ScienceDirect and also the scientific database of academic jihad (SID), the country's journals database (Magiran), and the database of Iranian medical science articles were searched. After searching for keywords, the statistical population of this study was 764 Persian and English articles published in 2011 (from February) to 2022 (until July). After removing the articles not related to the research objectives, 51 articles were included and fully reviewed according to the PRISMA model.

Investigations have shown the existence of widespread psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, fear, stress, social stigma, low sleep quality, lack of social support, moral injury, low resilience, personality disorders, impulsivity, smoking, and alcohol addiction among military personnel had thoughts and behaviors related to suicide. Also, young age, male gender, low education, being single, poor economic status, family history, length of service, and military rank were among the demographic factors influencing the increasing thoughts and behaviors related to suicide among military personnel. According to the studies, having cognitive flexibility, resilience, social support, and spiritual and mental health can significantly reduce the number of thoughts and behaviors related to suicide in military personnel.

Considering that military personnel face various stressful and anxiety-provoking events during their lives, it is necessary to have good mental health. In this context, psychology and counseling centers of military barracks should regularly examine and screen thoughts and behaviors related to suicide to provide appropriate psychological interventions if necessary.