Meaning in Life as a Protective Factor for the Emergence of Suicide Ideation That Leads to Suicide Attempts Among Military Personnel and Veterans With Elevated PTSD and Depression

The current study examines the fluid vulnerability theory (FVT) to determine how the presence of meaning in life explains the emergence of suicide ideation and the transition from suicide ideation to attempts among military personnel and veterans with elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. We used path analysis to determine if the presence of meaning in life and the search for life meaning mediate the relationship between PTSD/depression and suicide ideation that leads to suicide attempts. A total of 393 U.S. service members and veterans (69.7% male; 82.5% Caucasian; mean age = 36.26) enrolled in college completed an anonymous online survey assessing basic demographic information, posttraumatic stress, depression, meaning in life, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts. Results indicate that meaning in life may be an important factor for explaining why some military personnel and veterans do not become suicidal despite their risk of suicide due to clinical conditions (PTSD/depression).