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Objectives: The rate of suicide increased in members of the United States Army since 2011 after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and continues to be a major concern. In order to reverse this disturbing trend, it is vital to understand the risk and protective factors for suicide death in servicemembers. Methods: Data were obtained from a case-control psychological autopsy study, which compared U.S. Army suicide decedent cases (n = 135) to a probability sample of living controls (n = 255) who are also service members weighted to be representative of the Army. Interviews were conducted with next-of-kin (NOK) and supervisor (SUP) informants. Multivariable logistic regressions models were constructed using predictors significant after controlling for multiple comparisons. Results: The most parsimonious multivariable model controlling for deployment status, as reported by SUP predicting suicide death consisted of four significant variables: a spouse or partner left him or her in the past month (OR = 28.5 [95% CI = 1.8, 442.7] χ² = 5.72, p = .0168); a smaller social network (OR = 4.2 [95% CI = 1.0, 17.3] χ² = 3.97, p = .0462), less likely to seek help from a mental health counselor (OR = 3.4 [95% CI = 1.2, 9.7] χ² = 5.35, p = .0207) and more likely to be described as incautious (OR = 3.8 [95% CI = 1.2, 11.7] χ² = 5.42, p = .0199). The AUC = .88 [95%CI = 0.82, 0.94] for this regression model suggests strong prediction. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that recent relationship problems, especially in soldiers who are less likely to seek out support from others, may be warning signs for detection and prevention of imminent risk of suicide and according to supervisor informant surveys, had neither evidence of a mental health disorder, nor disclosed suicidal ideation or self-harm. Implications for suicide prevention are discussed.

Abstract By adolescence, two-thirds of youth report exposure to at least one traumatic event, yet the impact of trauma history is not routinely considered when evaluating the effect of psychotherapeutic interventions. Trauma may be a particularly important moderator of the effects of transdiagnostic therapies for emotional disorders, as trauma exposure is associated with risk for the development of comorbid depression and anxiety. The current study examined the history of trauma exposure and the presence of clinically significant depression as moderators of treatment outcomes in the Brief Behavioral Therapy (BBT) trial, the largest study of transdiagnostic psychotherapy for youth. Youths (age 8–16 years) were randomized to BBT (n = 89) based in pediatric primary care or assisted referral to outpatient community care (ARC; n = 86). Clinical response, functioning, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms were assessed at post-treatment (Week 16) and at follow-up (Week 32). A significant three-way interaction emerged between the treatment group, comorbid depression, and trauma exposure. BBT was broadly effective for 3/4 of the sample, but, for anxious-depressed youth with trauma exposure, BBT never significantly separated from ARC. Differences in outcome were not accounted for by other participant characteristics or by therapist-rated measures of alliance, youth engagement, or homework completion. Implications for models of learning and for intervention theory and development are discussed.