Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Heba Athar

Abstract

Suicide risk is a public health issue. It is a complex and poorly understood mental health and societal threat. This study examined veteran suicide rates and their relationship to family and social support, as measured by the social association rate, mental health funding per capita, and the lethality of the method rate. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and the social-ecological model are the theoretical frameworks that guided the study. Both theories emphasize the complexity surrounding suicide at the state level as it is related to the individual, social, environmental, and political landscape related to veteran suicide. The quantitative bivariate correlation and chi-square study analyzed the associated relationships, at the state level, between the variables. The results of the correlation, chi-square test, and multivariate analysis were significant. Social associations were significant to include 2009 mental health funding, with 2011 mental health funding reporting less significant contribution to the model than social associations. The lethality of the method reported less significance than mental health funding to the model with firearms and suffocation reporting the highest significance. The data presented are valuable to advocates, healthcare leaders, policymakers, researchers, and survivors to develop a coordinated approach to mitigate the consequences of unmet needs associated with suicide. The social change implications may help guide improvements in mental health practice to reduce suicide rates amongst the veteran population.

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