Korean J Adult Nurs.  2020 Jun;32(3):248-260. 10.7475/kjan.2020.32.3.248.

Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation in Community-dwelling Older Adults: A Gender Comparison in Old-Old Adults

• Yang JE
• Moon S

• KMID: 2504050
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2020.32.3.248

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for suicidal ideation according to gender of old-old adults in South Korea.
Methods
Data were collected from the 2017 Living Profiles of Older People Survey, and participants were 4214 older adults (aged 75 years and above). Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 21.0 for Windows. Differences in suicidal ideation by gender were identified using the x2 test or independent t-test, with multi-variate logistic regression analyses conducted to determine the factors associated with suicidal ideation by gender.
Results
Among old-old adult participant, the prevalence of suicidal ideation in men and women were 5.4% and 6.7%, respectively. The significant predictive factors for suicidal ideation in men were the following: living alone, frequency of contact with children and friends etc., experience of discrimination, conflict with children, self-blame, anxiety, perceived health, number of chronic diseases, and diagnosed depression. The significant predictive factors for suicidal ideation in women were the following: frequency of contact with children, experience of discrimination, experience of abuse, conflict with children, anxiety, number of chronic diseases, perceived economic status, and diagnosed depression.
Conclusion
The study revealed differences in factors associated with suicidal ideation according to gender among old-old adults. These findings suggested that different approaches and strategies for suicidal prevention programs should therefore be considered according to gender in this population age group.

Keyword

Aged; Suicidal ideation; Discrimination; Depression