Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Risk: Differential Associations of Affective and Depressive Symptoms in Veterans Seeking Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Compared to their civilian counterparts, veterans report elevated rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and are more likely to die by suicide. There are many contributing risk factors to suicide including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms. The current study examined the associations of distinct depression symptoms (i.e., affective, somatic), suicide risk—as determined by archival data from veterans’ electronic health record, and self-reported suicidal ideation among veterans presenting for PTSD treatment (N = 128; 79.7% male; Mage = 41.06). Results indicated affective depressive symptoms were associated with suicidal ideation and somatic depressive symptoms trended towards statistical significance to increase the odds of suicide risk, after accounting for suicidal ideation. Results suggest somatic depressive symptoms may be a unique risk factor of suicide risk above and beyond self-reported suicidal ideation among veterans reporting PTSD symptoms.