Older re-entry veterans are at considerable risk of attempting suicide and dying by drug overdose or other accidental injury, according to a recent study that highlights the importance of prevention and intervention efforts targeting later-life prison-to-community care transitions. In a retrospective cohort study using data from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicare healthcare systems from 2012 to 2014, researchers evaluated veterans aged ≥50 years released from correctional facilities (n=7,671 reentry veterans) and those never incarcerated (n=7,671). Dates of suicide attempt and cause-specific mortality were defined using the National Suicide Prevention Applications Network and the National Suicide Data Repository, respectively. They found:

• Later-life prison release was associated with increased risk of subsequent suicide attempt (599.7 vs 134.7 per 100,000 per year; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 3.45), death by drug overdose (121.7 vs 43.5; adjusted HR, 3.45), and other accidental injury (126.0 vs 39.1; adjusted HR, 3.13), adjusting for homelessness, medical conditions, traumatic brain injury, and psychiatric disorders, and accounting for competing risk of other deaths.
• Suicide mortality rates were observed to be non-significant between re-entry veterans and those never incarcerated (30.4 vs 17.4, respectively; adjusted HR, 2.40).