Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39838417›Full record

ArticleInjury epidemiology2025

Harnessing national data systems to understand circumstances surrounding veteran suicide: linking Department of Veterans Affairs and National Violent Death Reporting System Data.

Claire A Hoffmire, Alexandra L Schneider, Laurel A Gaeddert, Joseph Logan, Julie A Kittel, Ryan Holliday, Lindsey L Monteith

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Injury epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Suicide by suffocation among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Veterans in the USA (2012-2018).Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention · 2026
    Article
  2. Financial Stressors and Suicide.JAMA network open · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
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

7 authors.

Claire A HoffmireVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA. Claire.Hoffmire@va.gov.
Alexandra L SchneiderVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA.
Laurel A GaeddertVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA.
Joseph LoganDivision of HIV Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Julie A KittelVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA.
Ryan HollidayVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA.
Lindsey L MonteithVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA.

Funding

Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development HX002757HSRD VA I01 HX002757
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVeterans are at elevated risk for suicide compared to non-Veteran U.S. adults. Data sources and analyses to inform prevention efforts, especially for those who do not use Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services, are needed. This study aimed to link VA and CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) data to create a novel data source to characterize the circumstances precipitating and preceding suicide among Veterans, including among those who did not use VA healthcare.

methodsMulti-variable, multi-stage, deterministic linkage of VA-Department of Defense (DoD) Mortality Data Repository (MDR) and NVDRS-Restricted Access Database suicide and undetermined intent mortality records within 189 state-year strata (42 states, 2012-2018). Three linkage stages: (1) exact (matched on: age, sex, death date, underlying cause of death, day of month of birth, first initial of last name); (2) probable (all but one variable matched); (3) possible (all but 2 variables matched). Linkage success and accuracy of NVDRS-documented military history were assessed.

resultsAcross all state-years, 22,019 matches (89.20% of 24,685 MDR Veteran records) were identified (65.47% exact). When high missingness (2 + matching variables in > 10% of records; n = 23) or incomplete reporting (n = 12) state-years were excluded, match rate increased to 94.29% (77.15% exact). NVDRS-documented military history (ever served) was accurate for 87.79% of matched records, with an overall sensitivity of 84.62%. Sensitivity was lower for female (61.01%) and younger (17-39 years; 77.51%) Veterans.

conclusionsAccurate linkage of VA-DoD and NVDRS data is feasible and offers potential to improve understanding of circumstances surrounding suicide among Veterans.

Indexed as

Data linkageSuicideVeteran

Identifiers

PMID39838417
PMCPMC11748357

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.