Leader provided purpose: Military leadership behavior and its association with suicidal ideation

Trachik, Benjamin; Tucker, Raymond P.; Ganulin, Michelle L.; Merrill, Julie C.; LoPresti, Matthew L.; Cabrera, Óscar; Dretsch, Michael N.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112722

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…These findings are consistent with previous research demonstrating the protective nature of unit cohesion, leader‐provided purpose, and leader‐provided meaning against depression symptoms and SI/DI in soldiers (Anderson et al, 2019; Sinclair et al, 2016; Trachik et al, 2020). In particular, the findings that unit cohesion concurrently predicted SI/DI and prospectively predicted changes in SI/DI post‐deployment are supported by previous research.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Building on the findings in Trachik et al (2020), the present study replicates and extends this initial assessment, by examining cohesion and leader sense of purpose as correlates of SI/DI within a longitudinal context. Concretely, this entails the analysis of data collected during and at two time points following a combat deployment.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…This relationship was found both directly and indirectly through increased sense of belongingness, a component of the interpersonal theory that identifies the need to belong to the group as a fundamental human need (Joiner, 2005). While the results identified in Trachik et al (2020) are promising, that study relied on cross-sectional data and could not demonstrate these relationships over time. Moreover, the study only included a leader-provided sense of purpose and not leader-provided meaning.…”

Section: S P E C I a L I S S U Ementioning

confidence: 95%

“…While there are many potential factors that can reduce the risk of suicide‐related behavior in the military (Nock et al, 2018), one promising area of research examines military‐specific factors such as unit cohesion and leadership (Adler & Castro, 2013; Gunia et al, 2015; Trachik et al, 2020). Unit cohesion has been associated with fewer depression symptoms (Bryan & Heron, 2015) and greater confidence in managing military‐related distress (Williams et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present study also expands this analysis further by examining two forms of leader influence: leaders providing a sense of purpose and leaders providing a sense of meaning. The two items measuring purpose and meaning were selected based on prior research highlighting an association between these constructs and SI/DI (Bryan et al, 2019; Trachik et al, 2020). These items assessed the perceptions of participants that, following stressful events, their leader engaged in behaviors meant to encourage subordinate reflection on purpose and meaning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Military suicide prevention: The importance of leadership behaviors as an upstream suicide prevention target

Trachik

Oakey-Frost

Ganulin

et al. 2021

Suicide & Life Threat Behav

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Objective To evaluate the longitudinal relationships between unit cohesion, Army leader behaviors, and subordinate suicidal/death ideation. Recent cross‐sectional research indicates that subordinates who perceive that their leaders instill a sense of purpose regarding military service demonstrate less frequent suicidal ideation. Method Five hundred fifty‐nine soldiers completed self‐report measures of perceptions of leadership behaviors, unit cohesion, and suicidal/death ideation during deployment as well as one and three months following deployment. Latent change score modeling was conducted to evaluate the course and direction of study variables as well as the relationship between them. Results Although lower levels of suicidal/death ideation were related to leader‐provided purpose, leader‐provided meaning, and unit cohesion at baseline, only leader‐provided purpose and unit cohesion prospectively predicted changes in suicidal/death ideation. Conclusions Consistent with the goal of military leadership to augment effective clinical interventions that reduce suicide risk, prevention programs that reach a broader population of personnel should be considered. Enhanced leadership training may be an important primary prevention tool to reduce suicide risk that warrants further research.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: S P E C I a L I S S U Ementioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Military suicide prevention: The importance of leadership behaviors as an upstream suicide prevention target

Trachik

Oakey-Frost

Ganulin

et al. 2021

Suicide & Life Threat Behav

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Work and suicide: An interdisciplinary systematic literature review

et al. 2021

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Although organizational scholars have long been interested in employees' wellbeing and occupational health, less work has focused specifically on suicide behaviors among employees. This dearth of research is concerning given that individuals spend a significant portion of their waking hours at work, and suicide deaths among American workers are on the rise. To encourage the study of work and suicide with the intent of ultimately reducing mortality, we first provide a theoretical framework that incorporates two eminent theories of suicide: interpersonalpsychological theory of suicide and psychache theory of suicide. We then report the findings of an interdisciplinary systematic literature review that offers an overview of current research related to work and suicide, including antecedent, mediating, and moderating effects. The results of our systematic literature review are presented via the lens of our theoretical framework, supporting that it is an appropriate perspective to understand the relation of work and suicide. Finally, we conclude by identifying avenues for continued research on the interplay between work and suicide, again incorporating these research directions into our theoretical framework. Together, our manuscript integrates multiple domains of research, while addressing a timely and critical public health crisis that stems, in part, from employees' workplace experiences.

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Addressing Emerging Threats to the Intelligence Community Through Scientifically Informed Team and Leadership Strategy: The Case for the Integration of Research and Program Development

Trachik

2023

Annals of Theoretical Psychology

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Leader provided purpose: Military leadership behavior and its association with suicidal ideation

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Military suicide prevention: The importance of leadership behaviors as an upstream suicide prevention target

Military suicide prevention: The importance of leadership behaviors as an upstream suicide prevention target

Work and suicide: An interdisciplinary systematic literature review

Addressing Emerging Threats to the Intelligence Community Through Scientifically Informed Team and Leadership Strategy: The Case for the Integration of Research and Program Development

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