Social Problem-Solving Moderates the Relationship Between Postdeployment Reintegration Difficulties and Suicide Ideation Among U.S. Veterans

Suicide is a significant health concern among U.S. veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs released a report indicating that the rate of suicide for veterans is 1.5% greater in comparison to non-veterans. The rise in suicide among veterans has shown to be associated with the transition from military to civilian life. Approximately, 25% of veterans reported difficulty after deployment in major life domains including social functioning, productivity, community involvement and self-care (Sayer, Carlson, & Fraizer, 2010). The research has demonstrated that social problem-solving (SPS) can buffer the negative effects of stressful life events and daily problems (Nezu, Nezu, & D'Zurilla, 2013). Among the population of veterans, SPS has shown to be associated with reduced distress levels and increased resilience. To date, no research has investigated the relationship between postdeployment reintegration difficulties and SPS, or how they affect suicidal behaviors. The present study aimed to examine whether SPS moderates the relationship between postdeployment reintegration difficulties and suicide ideation. A sample of 198 veterans completed an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire and the following validated self-report measures: Military to Civilian Questionnaire (M2C-Q), Social Problem- Solving Inventory-Short Form (SPSI-R:S), and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS). As expected, postdeployment reintegration difficulties and SPS were both found to be significantly correlated with suicide ideation. Additionally, SPS was found to moderate the relationship between postdeployment reintegration difficulties and suicide ideation. In other words, when participants reported high levels of postdeployment reintegration difficulties, "effective problem solvers" experienced significantly lower levels of suicide ideation compared to "ineffective problem solvers." These findings demonstrate the importance of adaptive social problem-solving abilities in decreasing suicidal behaviors in individuals with postdeployment reintegration difficulties and provides the preliminary rationale for utilizing Emotion Centered Problem-Solving Therapy (EC-PST) treatment approach. Future research that evaluates the efficacy of EC-PST could provide evidence for the use of this intervention in veterans experiencing reintegration difficulties at increased risk for suicide.