Suicide and the standardized mortality ratio among Republic of Korea Armed Forces personnel, 2011–2016

This study examined the number of suicides in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Armed Forces and compared the relative suicide risk of military personnel with that in the general population. Age-, sex-, and calendar year-adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to compare the number of suicides between the ROK Armed Forces and the general population. Between 2011 and 2016, there were 405 suicides by ROK Armed Forces Personnel. The ROK Armed Forces had significantly fewer suicides than expected compared with the general population (SMR = 0.46, 95% confidence interval 0.41~0.50, based on 405 deaths). This was evident for both rank groups (soldiers and officers). In addition, a significant decrease was observed in the soldier group when comparing the SMR in 2016 with the previous 5-year average. Overall, during the period 2011–2016, the ROK Armed Forces had fewer suicides than expected when compared with the general population.