2017
Date published: 2017
Research and analysis of Veterans suicide data is a priority for Veterans Affairs Canada as this work can help inform ongoing suicide prevention activities. This study is a partnership between Veterans Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defence and Statistics Canada
What is this Research About?
This report examines suicide rates among the Canadian Veteran population to determine if there are trends over time or certain groups that may be at an increased risk
What did the Researchers Do?
Researchers linked administrative records of former Canadian Armed Forces members with 37 years of death records from Statistics Canada (from 1976 to 2012). They analyzed the data to determine factors associated with suicide in the Veteran population, comparing male and female suicide rates and examining trends over time. Comparisons were also made with the general Canadian population.
What did the Researchers Find?
- The study examined more than 200,000 CAF Veterans, most of whom were male (89%)
- Over the 37-year period studied, both male and female Veterans had a consistently higher risk of dying by suicide than other Canadians
- The Veteran suicide risk has been relatively stable over the past four decades, despite some fluctuations year to year
Male Veterans
- The risk of suicide in male Veterans was three and a half times higher than in females
- Younger male Veterans were at the highest risk of suicide; those under 25 years of age were 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide than male Canadians in that age group
- At ages 55 and above, the male Veteran suicide risk becomes lower than for Canadians
- Overall, their risk of suicide was 1.4 times higher than the Canadian male population
- Over the period studied, male Veteran suicide risk remained relatively stable at a significantly higher rate than for Canadian males
Female Veterans
- The risk of suicide among female Veterans was 1.8 times higher than among Canadian females
- That risk was similar for both younger and older female Veterans
International Comparisons
- The higher risk of suicide for young male Veterans in Canada (1.4 times) was similar to findings in the United States (1.5 times); the risk in the United Kingdom (2 to 3 times) and Australia (2 times) were higher.
Source
Simkus K, VanTil L, Pedlar D. 2017 Veteran Suicide Mortality Study: 1976 to 2012. Charlottetown (PE): Veterans Affairs Canada, Research Directorate Technical Report; November 30, 2017.