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Consideration of gender differences among OEF and OIF veterans seeking health care at the VA will facilitate more targeted prevention and treatment services for these newly returning veterans.

Background The United States military has lost more troops to suicide than to combat for the second year in a row and better understanding combat‐related risk factors for suicide is critical. We examined the association of killing and suicide among war veterans after accounting for PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders. Methods We utilized a cross‐sectional, retrospective, nationally representative sample of Vietnam veterans from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS). In order to perform a more in depth analysis, we utilized a subsample of these data, the NVVRS Clinical Interview Sample (CIS), which is representative of 1.3 million veterans who were eligible for the clinical interview by virtue of living in proximity to an interview site, located within 28 standard metropolitan regions throughout the United States. Results Veterans who had higher killing experiences had twice the odds of suicidal ideation, compared to those with lower or no killing experiences (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.07–3.67), even after adjusting for demographic variables, PTSD, depression, substance use disorders, and adjusted combat exposure. PTSD (OR = 3.42, 95% CI = 1.09–10.73), depression (OR = 11.49, 95% CI = 2.12–62.38), and substance use disorders (OR = 3.98, 95% CI = 1.01–15.60) were each associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation. Endorsement of suicide attempts was most strongly associated with PTSD (OR = 5.52, 95% CI = 1.21–25.29). Conclusions Killing experiences are not routinely examined when assessing suicide risk. Our findings have important implications for conducting suicide risk assessments in veterans of war. Depression and Anxiety 00:1–6, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Based on focus group and individual interviews with 26 combat veterans, this qualitative thematic analysis examines the psychosocial and interpersonal consequences of killing in war. It describes the consequences that veterans identify as most relevant in their lives, including postwar changes in emotions, cognitions, relationships, and identity. Furthermore, it illustrates the linked psychological and social dimensions of those consequences—namely, how the impact of killing in war is rooted in the unique perspectives, actions, and experiences of individual veterans, as well as the social worlds they confront upon returning from war. We found that, for many veterans, killing provokes a moral conflict with a lasting impact on their sense of self, spirituality, and relationships with others. In working with combat veterans, mental health professionals should be sensitive to the complexities of discussing killing and attuned to the psychosocial challenges veterans may face after taking a life in war.

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