Dawes, Nathan G., Topp, Stephanie M., Fullagar, Brittany J., Selman, Jason, Pak, Anton, and Devine, Susan G. (2025) Social Determinants of Suicide and Suicidality in Serving Military Personnel: A Global Scoping Review. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 36 (2). e70030.

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Abstract

Issue Addressed: Nearly a million people die by suicide annually, with military personnel being at heightened risk. For every suicide, about 20 cases of suicidality, including ideation and attempts, are reported. Social determinants of health may influence suicide risk factors, but research within military contexts, particularly in Australia, is scarce. This review aimed to scope global literature and synthesise current knowledge on the social determinants of suicide and suicidality among serving military members, focusing on the Australian military.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the social determinants of health framework to analyse contemporary peer-reviewed articles and grey literature on military suicide and suicidality. Thematic analyses and critical appraisals were performed to identify key themes and assess the quality of the literature. The review included grey literature specific to the Australian military population.

Results: Fifteen peer-reviewed articles were included, predominantly from the United States, with one each from South Korea and Israel. Five Australian military grey literature studies were also reviewed. The findings suggest a link between social support, addiction, socioeconomic status, education and occupational factors with suicide and suicidality.

Conclusions: This review provides an update on the evidence regarding the social determinants of suicide and suicidality in military personnel. While some evidence links social support with suicidality, the research outside the United States remains limited.

So What?: The review highlights the need for further research to identify effective health-promotion strategies and interventions addressing social determinants in military contexts.

Item ID:	86373
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2201-1617
Copyright Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. © 2025 The Author(s). Health Promotion Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Health Promotion Association.
Date Deposited:	25 Jul 2025 03:42
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520304 Health psychology @ 30% 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420603 Health promotion @ 70%
SEO Codes:	14 DEFENCE > 1401 Defence > 140110 Personnel @ 33% 20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200104 Prevention of human diseases and conditions @ 34% 20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200409 Mental health @ 33%
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