SCOTTISH veterans face the highest risk of suicide in middle age, many years after leaving service.
The study, led by the University of Glasgow in partnership with the Forces in Mind Trust, looked at the risk of suicide in veterans compared with people who had never served, and found that overall, their risk was no higher than non-veterans.
Researchers found that the highest risk in both men and women veterans was people in their 40s, which is also a high-risk age group in the wider community.
Lead researcher Dr Beverly Bergman, honorary clinical associate professor and leader of the Scottish Veterans Health Research Group at the University of Glasgow, said: “It is reassuring that this large study of 78,000 veterans, followed up for up to 37 years, has found that suicide is no more common in veterans than in people who have never served, although every suicide is a tragedy.
“What surprised us was that the highest risk for suicide was about 20 years after leaving service. People have been looking at the immediate post-service period, but our research shows that this is not when the risk is greatest. We have highlighted that it is middle-aged veterans, rather than young veterans, whose need for support is greatest.”
The study, Suicide among Scottish Military Veterans: Follow-up and Trends, is published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
A link to the study after publication can be found at: dx.doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2021-107713
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