Table 1. Characteristics of Veterans Receiving Caring Letters With Peer vs Clinician Signatoriesa.
| Characteristics | Participants, No. (%) | Absolute value of standardized difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peer (n = 47 120) | Clinician (n = 47 190) | ||
| Age, mean (SD), yb | 53.77 (17.31) | 53.80 (17.32) | 0.002 |
| Age at separation, mean (SD), yc | 26.24 (6.69) | 26.23 (6.68) | 0.003 |
| Sexd | |||
| Female | 7456 (15.82) | 7375 (15.63) | 0.005 |
| Male | 39 649 (84.14) | 39 801 (84.34) | |
| Race | 0.001 | ||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 507 (1.08) | 527 (1.12) | |
| Asian | 542 (1.15) | 562 (1.19) | |
| Black | 12 271 (26.04) | 12 224 (25.90) | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 473 (1.00) | 497 (1.05) | |
| White | 27 939 (59.29) | 28 010 (59.36) | |
| More than one race | 726 (1.54) | 708 (1.50) | |
| Race unknown | 4662 (9.89) | 4662 (9.88) | |
| Hispanic ethnicity | 3744 (7.95) | 3646 (7.73) | 0.002 |
| Married | 16 822 (35.70) | 16 957 (35.93) | 0.003 |
| Branch of service | |||
| Air Force | 5999 (12.73) | 5948 (12.60) | 0.002 |
| Army | 24 405 (51.79) | 24 497 (51.91) | |
| Navy | 9240 (19.61) | 9254 (19.61) | |
| Marine Corps | 6131 (13.01) | 6131 (12.99) | |
| Other and missing | 1345 (2.85) | 1360 (2.88) | |
| Discharge type | 0.003 | ||
| Honorable | 41 946 (89.02) | 42 051 (89.11) | |
| Dishonorable | 378 (0.80) | 376 (0.80) | |
| Other | 3543 (7.52) | 3534 (7.49) | |
| Unknown | 1253 (2.66) | 1229 (2.60) | |
| Past-year suicide attempt | 3006 (6.38) | 2978 (6.31) | 0.003 |
| Past-year inpatient mental health encounter | 3205 (6.80) | 3222 (6.83) | 0.001 |
| Past-year outpatient mental health encounter | 25 489 (54.09) | 25 576 (54.20) | 0.002 |
a
Rates of Elixhauser comorbidities are also balanced across signatory groups. Full results are available in eTable 3 in Supplement 1.
b
Missing for 2 individuals.
c
Missing for 1646 individuals.
d
Missing for 29 individuals.