Agency is associated with decreased emotional distress and suicidal ideation in military personnel.

Suicides in the U.S. military continue to rise at a rapid rate. Identification of protective factors that reduce risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among military personnel are therefore needed. Agency, the sense that one is competent, effective, and in control of one’s life, has shown to reduce the effects of hopelessness and emotional distress on suicidal thoughts and attempts in non-military populations.