TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors associated with suicidal ideation in an elderly urban Japanese population
T2 - A community-based, cross-sectional study
AU - Awata, Shuichi
AU - Seki, Toru
AU - Koizumi, Yayoi
AU - Sato, Soichiro
AU - Hozawa, Atsushi
AU - Omori, Kaori
AU - Kuriyama, Shinichi
AU - Arai, Hiroyuki
AU - Nagatomi, Ryoichi
AU - Matsuoka, Hiroo
AU - Tsuji, Ichiro
PY - 2005/6
Y1 - 2005/6
N2 - The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between suicidal ideation and potentially related factors in an elderly urban Japanese population. This was a community-based, cross-sectional study. Urban community residents aged 70 years or more were interviewed regarding suicidal ideation and sociodemographic and health-related variables. Subjects with depressive symptoms underwent further evaluation by psychiatrists using criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition. Associations were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Of the 1145 eligible participants, 52 (4.5%) reported thoughts of suicide. Of 143 subjects with depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale, 14+), 22 (15.4%) reported suicidal ideation over a 2-week period. After controlling for depressive symptoms, lack of social support and impaired instrumental activities of daily living were significantly associated with thoughts of suicide. After controlling for the potentially associated factors detected in the univariate analysis, depressive symptoms were strongly associated with thoughts of suicide. In the elderly with depressive symptoms, mental disorders, including depressive and alcohol-related disorders, were significantly associated with suicidal ideation over a 2-week period. In the urban community setting, screening for lack of social support, impaired instrumental activities of daily living, and depressive symptoms, followed by diagnostic evaluation for mental disorders, particularly for depressive syndromes and alcohol-related disorders, may provide a practical and effective means of identifying elders at high risk of suicide.
AB - The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between suicidal ideation and potentially related factors in an elderly urban Japanese population. This was a community-based, cross-sectional study. Urban community residents aged 70 years or more were interviewed regarding suicidal ideation and sociodemographic and health-related variables. Subjects with depressive symptoms underwent further evaluation by psychiatrists using criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition. Associations were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Of the 1145 eligible participants, 52 (4.5%) reported thoughts of suicide. Of 143 subjects with depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale, 14+), 22 (15.4%) reported suicidal ideation over a 2-week period. After controlling for depressive symptoms, lack of social support and impaired instrumental activities of daily living were significantly associated with thoughts of suicide. After controlling for the potentially associated factors detected in the univariate analysis, depressive symptoms were strongly associated with thoughts of suicide. In the elderly with depressive symptoms, mental disorders, including depressive and alcohol-related disorders, were significantly associated with suicidal ideation over a 2-week period. In the urban community setting, screening for lack of social support, impaired instrumental activities of daily living, and depressive symptoms, followed by diagnostic evaluation for mental disorders, particularly for depressive syndromes and alcohol-related disorders, may provide a practical and effective means of identifying elders at high risk of suicide.
KW - Alcohol-related disorder
KW - Depressive disorder
KW - Social support
KW - Suicidal ideation
KW - Urban population
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=21244458381&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=21244458381&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01378.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01378.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 15896227
AN - SCOPUS:21244458381
VL - 59
SP - 327
EP - 336
JO - Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
JF - Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
SN - 1323-1316
IS - 3
ER -