Suicide exposure among post‑9/11 Veterans: who is affected and what help is needed
Official title: Exposure to Suicide Among Post 9/11 Veterans: Prevalence, Correlates and Treatment Needs
Funded at Minneapolis VA Medical Center · NIH-11199643 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how many post‑9/11 Veterans know someone who died by suicide and what kinds of care they may need, with extra focus on women and American Indian/Alaska Native Veterans.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Minneapolis VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003438-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11199643 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are post‑9/11 U.S. Veterans within about six years of military separation, particularly women and American Indian/Alaska Native Veterans who receive VA care.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not U.S. Veterans, Veterans who separated long before 9/11, or those never exposed to a suicide are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific work.
What this research studies
Researchers will use VA health records and surveys of post‑9/11 Veterans to find how many people knew someone who died by suicide and how that exposure relates to mental and physical health and use of VA services. The project focuses on Veterans within six years after military separation and will oversample women and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Veterans to get reliable estimates for those groups. Two comparison groups will be included to help separate effects specific to suicide exposure from other risks. Findings will be used to inform targeted postvention and treatment needs for bereaved Veterans.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better-targeted support and VA services for Veterans who have been exposed to suicide, especially women and AI/AN Veterans.
How similar studies have gone: Previous smaller studies have linked suicide exposure to worse outcomes, but this larger VA-based effort with oversampling of women and AI/AN Veterans is relatively novel and aims to produce more reliable estimates.
Where this research is happening
-
Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sayer, Nina a. — Minneapolis VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Sayer, Nina a.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.