Can receiving a Purple Heart medal for a combat injury lower the risk of suicide in combat veterans?
Jayna Moceri-Brooks, clinical assistant professor at the Rory Meyers College of Nursing at New York University, explores whether this recognition has an effect.
Jayna Moceri-Brooks, PhD, RN, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Her program of research centers on firearm injury prevention, traumatic brain injury (TBI) in military populations, and suicide prevention among service members and Veterans, with a particular focus on the role of military culture. Her research identified the first tangible suicide prevention intervention for a high-risk group of service members and Veterans and directly influenced federal policies aimed at improving the well-being of those who serve.
Moceri-Brooks is a member of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government and serves on the community advisory board of the Harvard/Massachusetts General ReBlast research team. She also continues to practice as an emergency nurse.
Moceri-Brooks regularly contributes to nationally reported news stories and has offered expert commentary on suicide prevention and TBIs within the military. She also provides her expertise to members of Congress on issues related to health within the military and Veteran communities.
Prior to joining the faculty at NYU Meyers, Moceri-Brooks completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University, where she focused on firearm injury prevention among civilian and military populations and worked across a portfolio of Department of Defense-funded suicide prevention research projects.
Moceri-Brooks holds a PhD in Nursing from Duquesne University, a Master of Nursing from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Seattle Pacific University.
Purple Heart May Protect Against Suicide
Traumatic brain injuries are the signature injury of the Post-9/11 conflicts and Combat Veterans with these injuries have the highest suicide rates within the military. They are also entitled to the Purple Heart medal, which is the only official recognition of a combat-related injury in the military. However, hundreds of thousands of eligible Veterans have not received this recognition.
We led the first study to examine the relationship between recognizing these invisible injuries and suicide risk among Post-9/11 Army Combat Veterans. Using a survey and interviews, we found that those who did not receive a Purple Heart had a significantly higher suicide risk than those who received the honor. We also found that those who perceived that the military betrayed them were at higher risk for suicide.
These findings were explained by the Combat Veterans we interviewed. They shared that having the Purple Heart validated their invisible injury and served as a conduit for receiving care for their ongoing traumatic brain injury symptoms. Those who were denied the Purple Heart for their combat-related injury felt betrayed by the military for “sweeping their injuries under the rug” and not providing the care they needed. Many without this recognition said they did not feel like they belonged to the group of “wounded warriors” that society embraces. They also believed they were a burden to their families who did not fully understand their symptoms, having never been through an award ceremony to commemorate the sacrifices they made in combat.
Our study suggests that awarding the Purple Heart to officially recognize combat-related traumatic brain injuries may prevent suicide by validating Veterans’ injuries and expediting their ongoing need for care. Honoring their sacrifice is a tangible and feasible way to prevent suicides within this high-risk group.
Read More:
[National Library of Medicine] – The Purple Heart and suicide risk in Post-9/11 U.S. Army Combat Veterans with a traumatic brain injury: A mixed methods study
[Rockefeller Institute of Government] – Jayna Moceri-Brooks
