Deaths attributed to suicide among enlisted U.S. armed forces recruits, 1980-2004.

ABSTRACT Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of suicides among U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy recruits from 1980 through 2004. Methods: Recruit suicides were identified through the Department of Defense Recruit Mortality Registry. We calculated crude, category-specific, and age-adjusted mortality rates as deaths per 100,000 recruit-years. Results: There were 46 onsite suicides by gunshot (39%), hanging (35%), fall/jump (22%), and drug overdose (4%). An additional 20 recruits committed suicide from 1980 through 2004 after leaving the military training site. Methods included gunshot (70%), hanging (20%), fall/jump (5%), and poisoning (5%). Therefore, the overall recruit suicide rate was 6.9 (95% confidence interval = 5.4–8.8) deaths per 100,000 recruit-years. Only three (5%) suicides occurred among females resulting in a 3.5 times higher risk for males compared to females (95% confidence interval = 1.1–11.2). Conclusions: Suicide rates among military recruits ...