Citation

Bickford D, Morin RT, Woodworth C, Verduzco E, Khan M, Burns E, Nelson JC, Mackin RS. Aging Ment. Health 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13607863.2019.1698514

PMID

31809584

Abstract

Objectives: Frailty and disability are commonly found in Late Life Depression (LLD) and have been associated with increased depression severity, health comorbidities and mortality. Additionally, physical frailty has been associated with suicide in later life, independent of presence of a mood disorder. The objective of our study was to assess the associations of physical frailty and functional disability with suicidal ideation, controlling for depression severity and demographic factors, in an older depressed sample.Methods: This study used data from community-dwelling older adults with major depression. Eligible participants were ≥ 65 years old, completed measures of depression symptom severity (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 item; HDRS-24), current suicidal ideation (Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale; GSIS), and physical frailty/functional capacity measures.Results: Participants were 88 older adults with a mean age of 71.5 (SD = 6.0) and 66% of the sample was female. Poorer performance on frailty measures of gait speed (B =.239, p =.003) and muscle weakness (B = -.218, p =.01) were significantly associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation, independent of depression severity and demographic factors. Functional disability was also significantly related to suicide ideation, specifically impairment in financial capacity (B = -.290, p =.008), social interaction (B =.408, p <.001), and communication skills (B =.373, p =.001).Conclusion: Our findings show that, in LLD, frailty and functional disability are significantly associated with higher levels of suicide ideation, independent of depression symptom severity.

Language: en

Keywords

Aging; disability; frailty; late life depression; suicide