Supporting Military Youth Against Suicide & Self-Harm

Written by: Jason Jowers, MS, MFT

Supporting the mental well-being of youth and teens is a top priority for many mental health professionals today. The age group of 12-18 year olds are developing the social and emotional habits that will lead them into adulthood. With school transitions, new friend groups, and opportunities, many are navigating and handling stress in new ways, for the first time. Youth in military families have added pressures to their lives that are unique, from parental deployments to frequent family moves. With all this considered, it is vitally important to consider and be familiar with assessing for suicidal ideation and self-harm behaviors when working with youth clients.

Data and Statistics

According to the CDC, “suicide is the second leading cause of death, respectively, for people aged 10-24 and among the top four leading causes of death for the individual age groups 10-14 and 15-19” (CDC, 2021). The CDC also reported, in the most up-to-date data from 2021, that 15 percent of deaths of youth ages 15-24 were due to suicide (CDC, 2021). These stats show the importance of carefully assessing for suicide when talking with youth.

Self-harm behaviors are also on the rise. “Although self-harm is not directly related to suicidal ideation or attempts, the behavior is related to coping or dealing with stress, anger, sadness, and emotional pain” (National Military Family Association (NMFA), 2024). NMFA (2024) also states in their annual Bloom report that 18 percent of adolescents in military families engage in self-harm behaviors.

The impacts of parental deployment, periods of parental absence from the family system, trauma exposure, and other spillover effects related to military service can cause strain on military-connected marriages (adult relationships among parents) and parent-child relationships. That’s why it’s important to be aware of stress and trauma that could impact suicidal ideation and harmful behaviors for youth.

OneOp Suicide Prevention Programming

For resources and programming on suicide awareness and prevention, OneOp has several on-demand webinars for clinicians and professionals working with military families. Our “Public Health Approaches to Suicide Prevention: Working with Military Service Members” and “Public Health Approaches to Suicide Prevention: Working with Military Spouses and Families” webinars showcased the work of Dr. Keita Franklin, current Chief of Behavioral Health with Leidos. Also, our “Weaving Community Safety Nets for Youth” webinar with Dr. Terresa Humphries-Wadsworth, focuses on building a safety net for youth who may be at risk for suicide.

Service providers play an important part in suicide prevention and intervention for military youth. The more data we know about suicide prevention and intervention, and resources available, the stronger our support can be for military youth and military families as a whole.

Resources

• CDC (2023). Suicide and Homicide Death Rates Among Youth and Young Adults Aged 10–24: United States, 2001–2021. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/produ...databriefs/db471.htm
• National Military Family Association (2024). Bloom 2024 Military Teen Experience Survey. Retrieved from: https://www.militaryfamily.org...ds/WEB-MTES-2024.pdf

Photo by Belle Co