The Interaction Between Alcohol Misuse and Belongingness on Suicidal Ideation Among Military Personnel

Grisel García-Ramírez, Stephen R. Shamblen, Emily Kaner and Roland S. Moore ()
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Grisel García-Ramírez: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 2030 Addison St., Ste. 410, Berkeley, CA 94704-2642, USA
Stephen R. Shamblen: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 401 West Main Street, Suite 2100, Louisville, KY 40202-2928, USA
Emily Kaner: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 2030 Addison St., Ste. 410, Berkeley, CA 94704-2642, USA
Roland S. Moore: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 2030 Addison St., Ste. 410, Berkeley, CA 94704-2642, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Previous research suggests a high prevalence of suicidal ideation among military personnel. Suicidal ideation is associated with suicide attempts and death. This study focused on the association between belongingness—a component of the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide—and alcohol misuse on suicidal ideation among the different categories of military branch and military service status. Using the Military Suicide Research Consortium Common Data Elements database (N = 2516), we conducted linear regression analyses to examine the moderating effect of belongingness and alcohol misuse on the association between military branch and military service status (i.e., Active Duty) on suicidal ideation. Results showed a negative significant association between belongingness and suicidal ideation, and a positive significant association between alcohol and suicidal ideation. The results indicated that alcohol misuse moderated the association between military branch and suicidal ideation, but did not moderate the association between military service status and suicidal ideation. Additionally, the results indicated that belongingness moderated the association between military branch and suicidal ideation and the association between military service status and suicidal ideation. The results highlight the differences across military branches and military service statuses and suggest the importance of developing tailored suicide prevention programs to address the specific needs of each military subpopulation.

Keywords: military population; suicidal ideation; alcohol misuse; belongingness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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