Elderly suicide rates: the importance of a non-linear relationship with distal risk and protective factors

Shah, Ajit; Bhat, Ravi; Zarate-Escudero, Sofia

doi:10.1017/s1041610212000750

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…When social amenities are available, they are often not tailored to the needs of the older person. The pattern of the relationship between rural dwelling and suicidality has been reported in the general population of many countries [33,34]. This appears to be in keeping with the theory of Durkheim in which poor social integration leads to increased suicide in the population [7].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Suicidal behaviour in old age - results from the Ibadan study of ageing

et al. 2013

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BackgroundAn important reason for the high risk of suicide in the elderly is the determination with which they act out their suicidal thoughts. Early identification of suicidal behaviours in the elderly is therefore important for suicide prevention efforts in this population.MethodData are from the Ibadan Study of Ageing (ISA), a household multi-stage probability sample of 2149 Yoruba Nigerians aged 65 years or older conducted between 2003 and 2004. We used the third version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to explore suicidal experiences and behaviours. In this report, only those experiences or behaviours reported to have occurred after the age of 65 years are the focus of analysis. Derived weights were applied to the data in accordance with the study design and associations were explored using logistic regression. The results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals.ResultIn all, 4.0% (95% C.I= 3.1-4.2) of the subjects had suicidal ideation occurring after the age of 65 years, while 0.7% (95% C.I=0.4-1.3) and 0.2% (95% C.I= 0.1-0.4) reported suicidal plans and attempts, respectively. There was a significantly elevated likelihood of suicidal ideation among persons who had experienced spousal separation through death or divorce (O.R=4.9., 95% C.I= 1.5-15) or who were residing in rural settings (O.R=2.5, 95% C.I=1.3-4.8).ConclusionSuicidal ideation is common among the elderly. About 20% and 6% of those with ideation proceed to plans and attempts, respectively. Circumstances of social isolation and exclusion are important correlates of suicidal behaviour in the elderly.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Suicidal behaviour in old age - results from the Ibadan study of ageing

et al. 2013

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“…There have been several studies on suicide among the elderly worldwide. In 2016 and before, dozens of studies were conducted by Shah et al to examine patterns and trends in suicide for the elderly by sex, age, and location and to investigate their correlates widely, mostly using suicide data from WHO ( 3 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 15 , 17 , 27 – 31 ). Recently, several studies reviewed the risk factors, prevention, and control strategies for suicide among the elderly ( 5 , 7 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time Trends and Predictions of Suicide Mortality for People Aged 70 Years and Over From 1990 to 2030 Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Ouyang

Qiu

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Background: High suicide rate in the elderly is an important global public health problem but has not received the attention it deserves. This study aimed to examine time trends of suicide mortality for people aged 70 years and over by sex, age, and location from 1990 to 2017, and to provide predictions up to 2030.Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2017, we presented elderly suicide mortality changes and compared the patterns for the elderly with that for all ages. We estimated associations between socio-demographic index (SDI) and suicide mortality rates using a restricted cubic spline smoother, and predicted suicide mortality rates up to 2030.Results: In 2017, 118,813 people aged 70 years and over died from suicide, indicating a mortality rate of 27.5 per 100,000, with the highest rates in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Sub-Saharan Africa, and for countries and territories, the highest were in South Korea, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Senegal. Between 1990 and 2017, suicide mortality rate for the elderly aged 70 years and over decreased globally (percentage change −29.1%), and the largest decreases occurred in East Asia, Southern Latin America, and Western Europe. Nationally, the largest decrease was found in Chile, followed by Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, and Philippines. For most countries, the elderly mortality rate was higher than the age-standardized rate, with the largest percentage differences in China and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The elderly suicide mortality rate decreased as SDI increased, except for a slight rebound at mid to high SDI. According to projections, 10 out of 195 countries were expected to meet the SDGs indicator of a third reduction by 2030.Conclusions: Variability in suicide mortality rates for the elderly aged 70 years and over by sex, age, region, country, and SDI can guide preventive policies, but causes of the variability need further study. Comprehensive strategies should be adopted to reduce suicide rates and close the gap to the 2030 SDGs.

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Elderly Suicide and Suicide Prevention

Shah¹,

Zarate-Escudero

2016

Mental Health and Illness Worldwide

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Elderly suicide rates: the importance of a non-linear relationship with distal risk and protective factors

Cited by 4 publications

References 54 publications

Suicidal behaviour in old age - results from the Ibadan study of ageing

Suicidal behaviour in old age - results from the Ibadan study of ageing

Time Trends and Predictions of Suicide Mortality for People Aged 70 Years and Over From 1990 to 2030 Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Elderly Suicide and Suicide Prevention

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