Citation

Eades A, Segal DL, Coolidge FL. Int. J. Aging Hum. Dev. 2018; ePub(ePub): 91415018757214.

Affiliation

Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Baywood Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0091415018757214

PMID

29480062

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the role of personality and self-esteem in later life within two established risk factors for suicidal ideation (SI)-Thwarted Belongingness (TB) and Perceived Burdensomeness (PB). The data about personality (i.e., Five Factor Model [FFM] and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Personality Disorders [PD]), self-esteem, TB, PB, and SI were collected from 102 community-dwelling older adults and analyzed using bivariate and multivariate techniques. All FFM domains and most PD traits were significantly correlated with SI, TB, and PB. Furthermore, FFM and PD traits explained a significant and meaningful amount of variance of SI, TB, and PB. Self-esteem demonstrated strong negative relationships with SI, TB, and PB. Personality features and self-esteem are important associated features for SI, TB, and PB. Clinicians should consider this information when assessing and evaluating for suicidal risk among older adults. The findings also highlight the need to consider personality traits in developing prevention strategies.

Language: en

Keywords

absence of reciprocal care; interpersonal psychological theory of suicide; loneliness; personality; self-hate