Congratulations to Dr. Priyanka Vakkalanka for receiving UI Injury Prevention Research Center Pilot grant funding for her project ‘Rural-Urban Disparities in Suicide Deaths among Military-Affiliated and Non-Military Civilians’! The project is slated to begin July 1, 2022. Below is the executive summary of the project:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Compared to the general US population, Veterans and military members are at a higher risk suicide due to risk factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and sleep issues. Previous work from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also demonstrated significant increases in rates of suicides in primarily rural areas. While mental health services are available, a key challenge is ensuring appropriate access and delivery of care in rural areas. In this work, we will investigate differences in trends in suicide and means of suicide by these two key sub-groups, military members and rural residents. We will evaluate differences in circumstantial risk factors between these groups which will then guide community programs and targeted interventions within local communities. We anticipate that this study’s findings will be of great interest to injury researchers, mental health providers, primary care providers, and local and regional health departments.