Life weariness and suicidal thoughts in older adults: a multi-center study in SwedenShow others and affiliations
2016 (Swedish)In: Presented at the 23rd Nordic Congress of Gerontology (23 NKG), Tampere, Finland, June 20-22, 2016, 2016Conference paper, Poster (with or without abstract) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]
Aims: Suicidality in late life is a public health concern worldwide and suicidal thoughts may be an important risk factor for suicide in old age. The overall aim of the present study was to investigate the possible importance of demographic characteristics, especially sex and age, for suicidal thoughts in a Swedish population-based cohort of older adults aged 60+ years.
Methods: In this multicenter study, data from 7913 individuals aged 60+ years from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care (SNAC) were used. One item of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale was used to measure life weariness and suicidal thoughts. Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and suicidal thoughts.
Findings: Multivariate analysis showed that suicidal thoughts independently increased with age. Sex was, however, found to be unrelated to suicidal thoughts after controlling for other socio-demographic factors. Living in an urban or midsize geographical area, being widowed/unmarried/divorced, born in an European country other than the Nordic countries, in a residential care facility and having financial difficulties was related to suicidal thoughts.
Conclusions: Taking these socio-demographic characteristics into consideration may aid in the design of prevention programs for late life suicidality.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2016.
National Category
Nursing
Research subject
Health and Caring Sciences, Nursing
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-72348OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-72348DiVA, id: diva2:1196068
Conference
23rd Nordic Congress of Gerontology (23 NKG), Tampere, Finland, June 20-22, 2016
2018-04-092018-04-092022-07-08Bibliographically approved