title: Cannabis use disorder and suicide attempts in Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans.
abstract: The objective of the present research was to examine the association between lifetime cannabis use disorder (CUD), current suicidal ideation, and lifetime history of suicide attempts in a large and diverse sample of Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans (N = 3233) using a battery of well-validated instruments. As expected, CUD was associated with both current suicidal ideation (OR = 1.683, p = 0.008) and lifetime suicide attempts (OR = 2.306, p < 0.0001), even after accounting for the effects of sex, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol use disorder, non-cannabis drug use disorder, history of childhood sexual abuse, and combat exposure. Thus, the findings from the present study suggest that CUD may be a unique predictor of suicide attempts among Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans; however, a significant limitation of the present study was its cross-sectional design. Prospective research aimed at understanding the complex relationship between CUD, mental health problems, and suicidal behavior among veterans is clearly needed at the present time.
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. Electronic address: Nathan.Kimbrel@va.gov.
authors.forename: Nathan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kimbrel
authors.affiliation: University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Amie R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Newins
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Dedert
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Van Voorhees
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Elbogen
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Naylor
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ryan Wagner
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brancu
authors.affiliation: VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jean C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Beckham
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; VA Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Calhoun
mesh_terms: D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans
keywords: Cannabis; Depression; Marijuana; Posttraumatic stress; Substance abuse; Suicidal ideation; Suicide; Suicide attempts