Exploring the use of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire to examine suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Post-9/11 U.S. Combat Veterans: An integrative review

ABSTRACT

This integrative review expands on the work of Kramer et al. (2020), by reviewing studies that utilized the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) to examine the interpersonal constructs (thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness) of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) to understand suicidal thoughts and behaviors among service members and Veterans with combat experience. Very few studies (n = 9) in the literature were identified, however important relationships were revealed between combat exposure/experiences, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among military samples. Studies also reported risk factors for high levels of thwarted belongingness or perceived burdensomeness in military samples, such as moral injuries, betrayal, and aggression. This review highlights the utility of the INQ to measure ITS constructs among Post-9/11 U.S. Combat Veterans.

KEYWORDS:

• Combat veterans
• Interpersonal Theory of Suicide
• suicidal thoughts and behaviors
• military
• Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire
• Post-9/11
• Global War on Terrorism
• deployment
• thwarted belongingness
• perceived burdensomeness

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Joan Lockhart (Duquesne University) for sharing her expertise and providing feedback on this integrative review. We also thank Dr. David Nolfi (Duquesne University) for his guidance through advanced literature searches.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.