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Severe Pain Predicts Greater Likelihood of Subsequent Suicide
Author(s) -
Ilgen Mark A.,
Zivin Kara,
Austin Karen L.,
Bohnert Amy S. B.,
Czyz Ewa K.,
Valenstein Marcia,
Kilbourne Amy M.
Publication year - 2010
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 - 10.1521/suli.2010.40.6.597
Subject(s) - veterans affairs , medicine , suicide prevention , injury prevention , poison control , occupational safety and health , psychiatry , human factors and ergonomics , medical record , proportional hazards model , national death index , medical emergency , hazard ratio , confidence interval , pathology
Using data from the 1999 Large Health Survey of Veterans, Veterans Affairs' medical records, and the National Death Index ( N = 260,254), the association between self‐reported pain severity and suicide among veterans as examined, after accounting for demographic variables and psychiatric diagnoses. A Cox proportional hazards regression demonstrated that veterans with severe pain were more likely to die by suicide than patients experiencing none, mild, or moderate pain (HR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.54), after controlling for demographic and psychiatric characteristics. These results indicate that pain evaluations should be included in comprehensive suicide assessments and suicide prevention efforts.