Relationship between village public safety officer presence and suicide incidence in Western Alaska (2004-2011)

INTRODUCTION:  Suicide rates in Western Alaska are five times the national average. Although national, state, and local organizations have invested considerable resources in prevention efforts, suicide rates have not declined. The presence of law enforcement is an important community characteristic that warrants greater study as a potential protective factor for suicide. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine possible risk and protective factors for suicide at the community level in Western Alaska, including whether the presence of a village public safety officer (VPSO) was associated with lower suicide incidence.

METHODS:  Multiple linear regression, negative binomial regression, and logistic regression models were created using data from the Alaska Violent Death Reporting System (AKVDRS) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) for 65 communities in Western Alaska from 2004-2011.

RESULTS:  The percentage of months a VPSO was present in a community was associated with a statistically significant lower suicide incidence in multiple linear regression (-0.516 +/- 0.240, 95% CI, p<0.05) and negative binomial regression (-0.0067 +/- 0.0030, 95% CI, p<0.05) models when controlling for other community characteristics. Logistic regression models did not show a statistically significant reduction in suicide with VPSO presence.

CONCLUSIONS:  Modeling approaches using VPSO presence as an independent variable showed that VPSO presence was associated with lower incidence of suicide. This relationship was not statistically significant in logistic models. The measure of association is likely confounded by VPSO attrition and non-random VPSO placement. The observed association alone is not sufficient evidence of a causal role for VPSOs in suicide prevention.