A nationally representative sample of veteran and matched non-veteran college students: Mental health symptoms, suicidal ideation, and mental health treatment

Grit is associated with decreased mental health help-seeking among student veterans

Objective: To examine the role of grit as a mediator of the relationship between student-veteran status and not seeking mental health help. Participants: A diverse and nationally representative sample of students (8,203 women, 4,934 men) from 18 U.S. colleges and universities included in the Understanding Student Distress and Academic Success study was used. Method: Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to assess associations between military service, grit, and help seeking. Results: Military service was positively associated with both facets of grit: consistency of interests (CI) and perseverance of effort (PE). CI, but not PE, mediated the relationship between military service and never having sought mental health help. Conclusions: These results suggest that grit mediates the relationship between military service and not seeking mental health help. Interventions for student-veterans that emphasize the utility of mental health treatment may be useful to diminish the negative influence of grit on help-seeking.

"What gets people in the door": An integrative model of student veteran mental health service use and opportunities for communication

Objective: To explore barriers and facilitators to mental health care among the student service member and veteran (SSM/V) population, develop an integrative model of mental health service use, and identify health communication opportunities. Participants: Participants were 21 current and former SSM/Vs recruited online and via snowball sampling. Methods: We conducted an emergent thematic analysis of in-depth interviews that took place in February 2021. Results: We identified eight major themes. Two were contextual (military culture, SSM/V identities), three were navigational (career repercussions, recognizing need, service availability/quality), and three were paths forward (high-quality accessible services, veteran peers/spaces, relevant outreach). Conclusions: We recommend higher education institutions promote SSM/V spaces, position mental health care as utilitarian, improve everyday mental health literacy, highlight service accessibility and quality, and deliver communications that reflect the diversity of SSM/V identities beyond the "warrior" archetype.

Nonsuicidal self-injury in veterans: Prevalence, clinical characteristics, and gender differences from a national cohort

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a robust predictor of suicidal thoughts and behaviors; however, while there are typically only small differences observed in the prevalence of NSSI between men and women, this condition has been largely overlooked and underestimated among men. Assessing NSSI methods more common in men may address misidentification as well as allow for more precise NSSI prevalence estimates. Survey data from a national sample of Gulf War I-Era veterans (N = 1063) was used to estimate the prevalence of NSSI and compare prevalence of NSSI methods between men and women veterans. Demographic and clinical correlates of NSSI engagement were also examined. The national lifetime prevalence rate of NSSI among Gulf War I-Era veterans was 22.40%, whereas the past year prevalence rate was 8.10%. In both men and women, wall/object punching was the most common NSSI method endorsed across the lifetime. Men had slightly higher overall NSSI prevalence rates compared with women. This study highlights the need to systematically assess NSSI, particularly among veterans, to better identify, and consequently treat, NSSI in men. This is the first available prevalence estimate of NSSI to include the assessment of wall/object punching in a national sample of adult veterans.