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Published Online: 9 January 2024

Impulsivity and Psychiatric Diagnoses as Mediators of Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts Among Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury

Alexandra L. Aaronson, M.D. [email protected], Bridget Smith, Ph.D., Kelly Krese, P.T., D.P.T., Meghan Barnhart, M.S., Maheen Adamson, Ph.D., Harriet de Wit, Ph.D., Noah S. Philip, M.D., Lisa A. Brenner, Ph.D., Theresa Bender-Pape, Dr.P.H., and Amy A. Herrold, Ph.D.Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
Volume 36, Number 2
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20230044
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Abstract

Objective:

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for suicide, but questions related to mechanisms remain unanswered. Impulsivity is a risk factor for suicide and is a common sequela of TBI. The authors explored the relationships between TBI and both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts and explored whether impulsivity and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses mediate these relationships.

Methods:

This cross-sectional retrospective chart review study included 164 veterans enrolled in a previous study. Sixty-nine veterans had no TBI history, and 95 had a TBI history (mild, N=44; moderate, N=13; severe, N=12; and unclear severity, N=26). To examine the associations between TBI and suicidal ideation or suicide attempts, as well as potential mediators of these relationships, chi-square tests, t tests, and logistic regression models were used.

Results:

Unadjusted analyses indicated that veterans with TBI were more likely to report suicidal ideation; however, in analyses controlling for mediators, this relationship was no longer significant. Among veterans with TBI, suicidal ideation was related most strongly to high impulsivity (odds ratio=15.35, 95% CI=2.43–96.79), followed by depression (odds ratio=5.73, 95% CI=2.53–12.99) and posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio=2.57, 95% CI=1.03–6.42). TBI was not related to suicide attempts, yet suicide attempts were related to high impulsivity (odds ratio=6.95, 95% CI=1.24–38.75) and depression (odds ratio=3.89, 95% CI=1.56–9.40).

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that impulsivity, followed by psychiatric diagnoses, most strongly mediate the relationships between TBI and both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Impulsivity may be mechanistically related to, and serve as a future treatment target for, suicidality among veterans with TBI.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
Go to The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
Volume 36 • Number 2 • Spring 2024
Pages: 125 - 133
PubMed: 38192217

History

Received: 3 March 2023
Revision received: 1 July 2023
Revision received: 2 October 2023
Accepted: 9 October 2023
Published online: 9 January 2024
Published in print: Spring 2024

Keywords

  1. Impulsivity
  2. Major Depressive Disorder
  3. Suicidal Ideation
  4. Suicide Attempt
  5. Traumatic Brain Injury
  6. Veterans

Authors

Affiliations

Alexandra L. Aaronson, M.D. [email protected]
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Bridget Smith, Ph.D.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Kelly Krese, P.T., D.P.T.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Meghan Barnhart, M.S.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Maheen Adamson, Ph.D.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Harriet de Wit, Ph.D.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Noah S. Philip, M.D.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Lisa A. Brenner, Ph.D.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Theresa Bender-Pape, Dr.P.H.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Amy A. Herrold, Ph.D.
Mental Health Service Line (Aaronson) and Research Service Line (Smith, Bender-Pape, Herrold), Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill.; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago (Aaronson); Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago (Krese); Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science, Hines, Ill. (Krese); Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. (Barnhart, Brenner); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Barnhart, Brenner); Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Adamson); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago (de Wit); Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Veterans Affairs Providence Health Care System, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (Philip); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Bender-Pape) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Herrold), Northwestern University, Chicago.
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Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Aaronson ([email protected]).

Competing Interests

Dr. de Wit serves as a scientific advisor to Awakn Life Sciences, Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, and the MIND Foundation, and she serves on the board of PharmaAla BioTech. Dr. Philip has received clinical trial support through Veterans Affairs contracts from Neurolief and Wave Neuroscience, he serves on the scientific advisory board of Pulvinar Neuro, and he serves as an advisor to Motif Neurotech. Dr. Brenner has received grant support from the Department of Defense, NIH, the State of Colorado, and the VA; she has received editorial remuneration from the Rand Corporation and Wolters Kluwer; she has received royalties from the American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press; and she has served as a consultant with sports leagues via her university affiliation. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

Supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Research and Development, Department of Rehabilitation Research (Career Development Awards 1IK1RX003082 and IK2RX004298 to Dr. Aaronson and Merit Award I01 RX002916 to Dr. Herrold).

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