# Gender differences in Veteran reintegration and associated suicide risk

> **NIH VA I01** · PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Background: The first four years after military service separation, while Veterans are reintegrating into civilian
life, is the highest risk period for suicide among Veterans. Veterans also face a number of reintegration
challenges resuming civilian life roles. Importantly, women and men Veterans may experience this period
differently. This study will provide valuable data on the reintegration experiences of Veterans at risk for suicide
across six key domains of Veteran reintegration, identify reintegration experiences associated with increased
suicide risk, and elucidate gender differences in reintegration experiences and associated suicide risk.
Significance: This study will increase our understanding of suicide risk during Veteran reintegration and will
support development of prevention efforts tailored for women Veterans during this period. These data are
needed to inform recent executive orders and VA initiatives calling for increased suicide prevention efforts
among reintegrating Veterans; findings from this study will identify subgroups of reintegrating Veterans most in
need of valuable resources and which reintegration challenges are especially problematic and when – enabling
VA to develop selective prevention approaches within this important population.
Innovation & Impact: This study moves the field beyond cross-sectional studies of suicide risk among
Veterans of recent eras and is carefully designed to study gender differences in suicide risk, building on the
body of research and theory in suicide prevention and emerging findings of gender differences in suicide risk.
Furthermore, this study is innovative in its linking of VA-DoD datasets to identify a national sample of newly
separated Veterans at increased risk of suicide who are not necessarily engaged in VA healthcare.
Specific aims: The specific aims of this study are to: 1) Model the trajectories of reintegration challenges of at-
risk Veterans to identify population subgroups (e.g., stable, deteriorating, improving) and examine gender
differences in reintegration experiences, 2) Identify associations between trajectories identified in Aim 1 and
suicide-risk-related predisposing factors among women and men, and 3) Identify associations between
trajectories identified in Aim 1 and development, or worsening, of suicide risk (suicidal ideation, suicide
cognitions, suicide attempts) and any effect measure modification by gender.
Methodology: This is a national cohort survey study. We will enroll a cohort of 2,000 Veterans separating from
service in the prior six months, identified using the VA-DoD Veteran Identity Repository (VADIR) data. We will
oversample for women to enroll a cohort that is approximately half women. We will also oversample for risk
indicators available in Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare data available through DaVINCI (i.e., prior
mental health inpatient/outpatient visit, emergency department visit, other outpatient visit). After completing the
baseline surv...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10752640
- **Project number:** 5I01HX003660-02
- **Recipient organization:** PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Lauren M Denneson
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-11-01 → 2027-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10752640

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10752640, Gender differences in Veteran reintegration and associated suicide risk (5I01HX003660-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10752640. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*