Past Issues
Depression, Posttraumatic Stress, and Suicidal Ideation: A Linkage Study in Taiwanese Army
Fu-Shun Chang, Hui-Ying Chou, Yueh-Ming Tai, Szu-Nian Yang
Background: Symptoms of poststress traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are intertwined in suicide ideation (SI) in military
personnel. The interpersonal psychological theory (IPT) of suicide is proposed that the presence of thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived
burdensomeness (PB) produces the desire for suicide. To clarify the putative moderating effect of IPT on the complex-mediated moderation
relationship among symptoms of soldiers’ PTSD, depression, and SI, we did a cross-section study through recruiting military personnel in
three camps in northern Taiwan. Methods: We recruited 759 active-duty soldiers (male: female = 579: 180) from three troops in northern
Taiwan. They were asked to fill out copies of questionnaire according to their current two-week situation for our analyzing the study data.
Results: In this study, we found that the pathway from soldiers’ PTSD symptom to SI was positively and significantly mediated through their
depression (p < 0.001), and that the pathway from their PTSD to depression was positively and significantly moderated by both PB (p < 0.05)
and thwarted belongingness (p < 0.05). Comparing with male counterparts, the female soldiers, although significantly and relatively younger
in age (p < 0.001), suffered from significantly higher levels of depression (p < 0.05) without significant sex difference in the magnitudes of
PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: This study revealed the moderating effects of IPT on the pathway from PTSD to depression and SI among
soldiers. Sex difference, although is subtle, can be essential in military suicide prevention and treatments for cases with PTSD symptoms.
Key Word | depression, perceived burdensomeness, soldiers, thwarted belongingness |
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