A suicide research framework for the Australian Defence Force

The Australian Government Department of Defence has been conducting work to improve understanding of suicide risk and protective factors and suicidal behaviours within the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

In partnership with the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention at Griffith University, and La Trobe University, the ADF has commenced research to determine risk and protective factors for suicidal behaviours in a military setting.

The research comprises two main components:

1. Original research using concept mapping that includes perspectives on risk and protective factors from individuals with experience, international military and mental health researchers, and clinicians.
2. A systematic literature review of cohort studies of risk and protective factors for current serving military personnel.

Underpinning the project is the contemporary ideation-to-action framework that seeks to understand and distinguish how risk and protective factors contribute to suicidal behaviours. The ideation-to-action framework is a theoretical framework that focuses on this movement and includes several contemporary theories of suicide that differentiate the development of suicide ideation from the movement from suicide ideation to suicide attempt.¹

The recent Australian Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide that inquired about systemic issues and risk factors for suicide highlighted the need for evidence-based advancements within defence suicide research and prevention initiatives. While there is an understanding of risk and protective factors from studies conducted in the general population, and to a lesser extent veterans, specific factors enabling or mitigating risks within the military have not been substantially explored. It is important to understand risk and protective factors for suicidal behaviours in the military to assist defence to further advance suicide prevention, and intervention plans and strategies for their personnel.

The research will lead to the development of a suicide research framework, which will outline factors associated with suicidal behaviours in the military and contribute to strengthening future suicide prevention initiatives led by Defence.