Life weariness and suicidal thoughts in late life: a national study in SwedenShow others and affiliations
2018 (English)In: Aging & Mental Health, ISSN 1360-7863, E-ISSN 1364-6915, Vol. 22, no 10, p. 1365-1371Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the point prevalence of life weariness and suicidal thoughts and their relationship with socio-demographic characteristics in a population of older adults in Sweden. Method: Data from 7913 individuals aged 60 years and older were drawn from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care, a collaborative study in Sweden. Life weariness and suicidal thoughts were measured by one item derived from the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. A multinomial regression model was used to investigate the relationships of socio-demographic characteristics with life weariness and suicidal thoughts. Results: Living in urban and semi-urban areas, being of advanced age, being divorced and having lower educational levels were related to life weariness. Living in a residential care facility, being widowed or unmarried, being born in a non-Nordic European country and experiencing financial difficulties were related to both life weariness and suicidal thoughts. Sex was found to be unrelated to either life weariness or suicidal thoughts. Conclusion: This study found that several socio-demographic variables were associated with life weariness and suicidal thoughts among older adults. Specific attention to older individuals with these characteristics may be warranted as they might be more vulnerable to life weariness and suicidal thoughts. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge , 2018. Vol. 22, no 10, p. 1365-1371
Keywords [en]
life weariness, National study, older adults, socio-demographics, suicidal thoughts
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-15016DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1348484ISI: 000455491500017Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85021985390OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-15016DiVA, id: diva2:1135403
2017-08-232017-08-232025-02-21Bibliographically approved