Relationship between Veterans Crisis Line risk rating and subsequent suicidal self-directed violence among veteran callers: A gender comparison

Background: Disparities in suicide rates by veteran status are particularly striking for women. Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) is a preventive strategy. Objectives: Examine the relationships and gender differences between VCL risk rating, and subsequent suicidal self-directed violence (SSDV) in the 12-months following VCL index call. Methods: Cohort study of VCL callers in 2018. Outcomes: Dichotomized composite SSDV (non-fatal suicide event and/or suicide) in the 12 months following VCL call. Results: Veterans with high/moderate VCL risk had significantly higher odds of SSDV (OR = 4.02, 95% CI: 3.75, 4.30). There were no gender/VCL risk interaction (p = 0.3605). We also examined the association of gender, combination of VCL risk and suicide attempt (SA) history, on SSDV. Differential odds of SSDV for gender and combined VCL risk and SA history combinations were observed (p = 0.0005). Compared to those with lower VCL risk without SA history, those with high/moderate VCL risk with SA history showed higher odds of SSDV. Magnitude was higher for men, than for women veterans. Conclusions and relevance: Veterans Crisis Line risk assessment performs relatively stable across the gender binary and highlights potential gender differences when factoring in SA history. Combining risk assessment and attempt history may lead to effective suicide prevention strategies.