Citation

Lee ME, Jung MH, Kim S, Kim B. Asia Life Sciences 2018; 27(2): 249-261.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Among the mental health problems suffered by the population aged 65 years or older, suicide has become a serious social problem. Thus, this study aimed to determine the factors affecting suicide ideation among the elderly living alone by dividing them into a low suicide risk group and a high suicide risk group according to their experiences of suicide attempts. The study analyzed both risk factors for and protective factors against suicide ideation through a survey of 217 elderly persons living alone in an urban area. The results of the analysis of the two subject groups depending on their experiences of suicide attempts showed that those who had attempted suicide had a high level of depression, suicide ideation and loneliness, while displaying a low level of social support and resilience. The factors influencing suicide ideation among the subjects who had attempted suicide were frequency of contact with their families, depression, social support and resilience. Therefore, to care for the elderly exposed to mental health risk factors, there is a need for an alternative approach to improve the mental health crisis management ability at the community level, beyond individually-targeted services or therapeutic approaches by experts. © Rushing Water Publishers Ltd. 2018.

Language: en

Keywords

Risk factors; Elderly people; Suicide attempts; Protective factors; Korea