The association of childhood maltreatment and suicide has been extensively examined within the population. Depression figures as a main cause for the elevated suicide rate in advanced ages and is often related to childhood maltreatment. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between childhood maltreatment subtypes and suicide risk, testing geriatric depression as a moderator. This is a cross-sectional study looking at a sample of 449 individuals 60 year s old or older from the Multidimensional Study of the Elderly of Porto Alegre Family Health Strategy, Brazil (EMI-SUS/POA). Childhood maltreatment (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), geriatric depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale), and suicide risk (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) were assessed. The subtypes of childhood abuse and neglect were significantly associated with suicide risk. In the multivariate analysis, controlling for age, gender, income, marital status, ethnicity, smoking, and geriatric depression symptoms, all trauma subtypes remained associated with suicide risk with the exception of physical neglect (EA = 3.65; PA = 3.16; SA = 5.1; EN = 2.43; PN = 1.76). The present study showed that childhood maltreatment subtypes predicted suicide risk, and geriatric depression does not directly mediate this relation.

Childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for depression in nonelderly individuals. We investigated the effect of childhood abuse and neglect on the development of geriatric depression and its severity in socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. A cross-sectional study investigated 449 individuals aged 60-103 years sorted by data using the enrollment list health coverage from the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The fifteen-item Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depression. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used to identify emotional and physical neglect, in addition to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Geriatric depression was associated with emotional and physical abuse and neglect. Emotional abuse and neglect, as well as physical abuse, increased the odds of an individual developing severe depression. Correlations were observed for combined forms of maltreatment, with two to five maltreatment types producing mild to moderate symptoms. Similar trends were observed for severe symptoms in a limited number of cases. The cross-sectional design limit causal inference. Retrospective measurement of childhood maltreatment may increase recall and response bias. Late-life depression and its severity significantly correlated with the extent of childhood emotional and physical abuse and neglect. Thus, research should focus on supporting trauma survivors late in life, particularly when they come from low or middle income countries because these patients have higher rates of depression in elderly populations.

Algumas alterações nas funções cognitivas e psicológicas presentes no envelhecimento podem afetar o ato de dirigir. Contudo, no indivíduo idoso o comportamento de autorregulação pode compensar as perdas ocorridas ao longo da vida, diante da própria percepção do declínio de suas habilidades na condução, o que, muitas vezes, culmina, finalmente, em decidir parar de dirigir completamente. Diante de um estudo teórico, este trabalho buscou explorar a relação deste cenário com os comportamentos compensatórios. Ademais, um maior entendimento sobre este assunto pode ser incorporado em programas de treinamento de motoristas mais idosos e, ainda, fornecer subsídios que auxiliem na elaboração de rodovias que reduzam os conflitos de trânsito, contribuindo, por fim, para o surgimento de tecnologias apropriadas para veículos que ajudem os condutores mais velhos a conduzir com maior segurança.