Premium
Young Male Violent Death Trends in the General Population during the Vietnam Era
Author(s) -
Louks John L.,
Otis Gerald D.,
Smith James R.,
Hayne Carole H.,
Trent Harlan E.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.1999.tb00297.x
Subject(s) - homicide , demography , vietnam war , suicide prevention , injury prevention , poison control , population , medicine , medical emergency , political science , sociology , law
Suicide and homicide rates significantly increased throughout the Vietnam War among young American civilian males who constituted the principal manpower pool for the war. Ironically, men who reached military age after the war were at greatest risk. Years of high combat intensity were not associated with higher suicide or homicide rates than years of low combat intensity. Suicide and homicide rates were correlated at .95, suggesting a common source of pathogenesis. No similar trend was found for motor vehicle death. Broad social forces, not the Vietnam War itself, were responsible for the changes in violent mortality trends that we observed among the birth cohorts of men in our study.