A Systematic Review of Social Factors and Suicidal Behavior in Older Adulthood

Abstract

Suicide in later life is a global public health problem. The aim of this review was to conduct a systematic analysis of studies with comparison groups that examined the associations between social factors and suicidal behavior (including ideation, non-fatal suicidal behavior, or deaths) among individuals aged 65 and older. Our search identified only 16 articles (across 14 independent samples) that met inclusion criteria. The limited number of studies points to the need for further research. Included studies were conducted in Canada (n = 2), Germany (n = 1), Hong Kong (n = 1), Japan (n = 1), Singapore (n = 1), Sweden (n = 2), Taiwan (n = 1), the U.K. (n = 2), and the U.S. (n = 3). The majority of the social factors examined in this review can be conceptualized as indices of positive social connectedness—the degree of positive involvement with family, friends, and social groups. Findings indicated that at least in industrialized countries, limited social connectedness is associated with suicidal ideation, non-fatal suicidal behavior, and suicide in later life. Primary prevention programs designed to enhance social connections as well as a sense of community could potentially decrease suicide risk, especially among men.

Mortalidad por suicidio en Chile: tendencias en los años 1998-2011

“…Entre los trastornos mentales predominantes en las personas que se suicidan destacan los trastornos afectivos y la esquizofrenia 16,[17][18][19] . Así también otras investigaciones dan cuenta de que problemas financieros, dificultades en las relaciones sociales, conflictos familiares, aislamiento social y soledad; son la razones más frecuentes de suicidio 20,21 .…”

“…Ya que tal cual como se refleja anteriormente existe evidencia respecto de potenciales factores de riesgo asociados a la mortalidad por suicidio, los que en su gran mayoría están relacionados a población europea y norteamericana [16][17][18][19][20][21] ; sin embargo, existe poca información disponible a nivel latinoamericano.…”

Sense of Belonging and Suicide: A Systematic Review

“…22 The authors reported some evidence of the association of all of these factors with suicidal behaviour, although the studies were inconsistent. The authors conceptualized the different factors as components of social connectedness and concluded that limited social connectedness was associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviour.…”

The role of physical and mental health multimorbidity in suicidal ideation

“…According to the WHO's World Suicide Report, the global agestandardised suicide rate for 2012 was 11.4 per 100,000 population, which translates into 804,000 suicide deaths annually worldwide (WHO, 2014). A significant body of work has focused on describing high-risk populations, such as clinical populations with mental illness and general populations whose members experience social stressors and adverse life events (Cavanagh et al, 1999;Fässberg et al, 2012;Foster, 2011;Gonda et al, 2012;Stack, 2014). A range of sociodemographic, psychological and clinical risk factors have also been identified (Hawton et al, 2003b;Mościcki, 1997;O'Connor, 2011;O'Connor and Nock, 2014;WHO, 2014).…”