Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34196966›Full record

ArticleSuicide & life-threatening behavior2021

Social closeness and support are associated with lower risk of suicide among U.S. Army soldiers.

Catherine L Dempsey, David M Benedek, Matthew K Nock, Kelly L Zuromski, David A Brent, Jingning Ao, Pablo A Aliaga, Steven G Heeringa, Ronald C Kessler, Murray B Stein and 1 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Suicide & life-threatening behavior, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Adult Friendship and Suicidality: A Scoping Review.Journal of social and personal relationships · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Connected in Bad Times and in Good Times: Empathy Induces Stable Social Closeness.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2024
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.

Catherine L DempseyCenter for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5712-6590
David M BenedekCenter for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Matthew K NockDepartment of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Kelly L ZuromskiDepartment of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
David A BrentDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Jingning AoHenry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Pablo A AliagaHenry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Steven G HeeringaInstitute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Ronald C KesslerDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Murray B SteinDepartment of Psychiatry and Family Medicine & Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Robert J UrsanoCenter for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1861-9173
Henry M. Jackson Foundation · USHarvard University · USUniformed Services University of the Health Sciences · USCambridge Health Alliance · USUC San Diego Health System · USUniversity of Michigan · USUniversity of Pittsburgh · US

Funding

Modifiable Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Behaviors in the US ArmyU01MH087981 · NIMH · HENRY M. JACKSON FDN FOR THE ADV MIL/MED · PI STEIN, MURRAY B., URSANO, ROBERT J. · 2009 to 2013
$65.0M
NIMH NIH HHS U01 MH087981
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe tested the aspects of social support, unit cohesion, and religiosity hypothesized to be protective factors for suicide among U.S. service members.

methodsThis case-control study compared U.S. Army soldiers who died by suicide while on active duty (n = 135) to controls of two types: those propensity score-matched on known sociodemographic risk factors (n = 128); and those controls who had thought about, but not died by, suicide in the past year (n = 108). Data included structured interviews of next of kin (NOK) and Army supervisors (SUP) for each case and control soldier. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine predictors of suicide.

resultsPerceived social closeness and seeking help from others were associated with decreased odds of suicide, as reported by SUP (OR = 0.2 [95% CI = 0.1, 0.5]) and NOK (OR = 0.4 [95% CI = 0.2, 0.8]). Novel reports by SUP informants of high levels of unit cohesion/morale decreased odds of suicide (OR = 0.1 [95% CI = 0.0, 0.2]). Contrary to study hypotheses, no religious affiliation was associated with lower odds of suicide (OR = 0.3 [95% CI = 0.2, 0.6]).

conclusionsPerceived social closeness and unit/group cohesion are associated with lower odds of suicide. These results point toward social intervention strategies as testable components of suicide prevention programs.

Indexed as

Military PersonnelSuicide PreventionCase-Control StudiesHumansRisk FactorsSocial SupportUnited Statesmilitary, religiositysocial supportsuicideunit cohesion, psychological autopsy

Identifiers

PMID34196966
PMCPMC10615249
OpenAlexW3175543859

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.