Living arrangements and suicidal ideation among the Korean older adults

Abstract

Objectives This study examines how living arrangements are associated with suicidal ideation for older adults in South Korea, which has the highest suicide rate among OECD countries, and a particularly high suicide rate for older persons. Methods Analyzing a sample of 5,795 women and 3,758 men aged 65 and older from a nationwide representative cross-sectional data set, we examined how many older adults think about suicide over a one-year period, why they think about suicide, and whether living arrangements are associated with suicidal ideation. Results About one out of twelve respondents in our sample reported suicidal ideation. While women and men did not differ in the prevalence of suicidal ideation, women attributed their suicidal feelings to health problems, while men attributed theirs to economic difficulties. Logistic regression results indicated that living arrangements are associated with suicidal ideation for men but not women. Older men living with a spouse were less likely to have suicidal ideation than older men with other living arrangements (i.e., living alone, living with children without spouse, living with spouse and others). Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of living arrangements to older men’s suicidal ideation. We discuss gender differences in the implications of living arrangements to suicidal ideation within the context of Confucian culture.

Factors Influencing Suicidal Ideation and Attempts among Older Korean Adults: Focusing on Age Discrimination and Neglect

“…Thus, there were more instances of these adults thinking about and attempting suicide. This is consistent with the results of previous studies that show living alone and social isolation to be related to suicidal ideation and behaviors [ 49 ], especially among male in Korea [ 50 ]. Furthermore, it is consistent with the results of some studies reporting that social support mediates or moderates the relationship between the experience of age discrimination and mental health [ 39 ].…”

Resilience Protected against Suicidal Behavior for Men But Not Women in a Community Sample of Older Adults in Korea

“…While incidence rates of suicidal ideation and attempt decreases with age, suicide rate increases as one get older ( De Leo et al, 2001 ; Centers for Disease Control, and Prevention, 2015 ), suggesting higher likelihood of suicide death among older adults who have thought or attempted suicide compared to other age groups. This tendency seemed stronger for older men than older women ( Rubenowitz et al, 2001 ; Paraschakis et al, 2012 ), although no consistent gender difference in prevalence of suicidal ideation was reported for older adults ( Almeida et al, 2012 ; Park and Lee, 2015 ; Kim et al, 2016 ).…”

Pengaruh Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted Belongingness, dan Religiusitas Terhadap Ideasi Bunuh Diri pada Lansia

“…Hal ini terbukti dari jumlah lansia yang tinggal sendiri hanya sebanyak 6,5% dari seluruh responden. Sementara itu, dari data tabulasi silang, dapat dilihat bahwa lansia yang tinggal sendiri cenderung memiliki ideasi bunuh diri yang tinggi, sesuai dengan penelitian-penelitian sebelumnya yang menyebutkan bahwa lansia yang tinggal sendiri lebih mungkin mengalami ideasi bunuh diri dibandingkan situasi hidup lainnya (Ju et al, 2016;Kim, Lee, & Lee, 2016). Sehingga dapat disimpulkan tidak signifkannya thwarted belongingness pada ideasi bunuh diri lansia disebabkan oleh sebaran data yang tidak merata.…”