Suicide at 50 years of age and older: perceived physical illness, family discord and financial strain
Abstract
Background. Mental disorders amplify suicide risk across the lifecourse, but most people with mental disorder do not take their own lives. Few controlled studies have examined the contribution of stressors to suicide risk. Method. A case–control design was used to compare 86 suicides and 86 controls aged 50 years and older, matched on age, gender, race and county of residence. Structured interviews were conducted with proxy respondents for suicides and controls. Results. Perceived physical illness, family discord and employment change amplified suicide risk after controlling for sociodemographic covariates and mental disorders that developed [ges ]1 year prior to death/interview. Only the effect of physical illness (OR 6·24, 95% CI 1·28–51·284) persisted after controlling for all active mental disorders. Conclusions. Interventions to decrease the likelihood of financial stress and to help families manage discord and severe physical illness may effectively reduce suicides among middle-aged and older adults.
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Family discord and employment change distinguished suicides from controls over age 50 even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and mental disorders.
“Our group also has reported that family discord and employment change distinguished suicides from controls over the age of 50 years even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and mental disorders (18).”
From Suicide in older adults (2011) · cites this paper as [18]
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- Authors
- DUBERSTEIN, P. R., CONWELL, Y., CONNER, K. R., EBERLY, S., & CAINE, E. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Rochester Medicine (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2004-01
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 137-146
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- OpenAlex
- W2140513025
- Cited by
- 241
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 14.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH54682, R01 MH60285, R01MH054682, R01MH060285)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Keywords
- suicide, older adults, middle-aged adults, family conflict, financial stress, employment change, suicide risk factors, stressors, mental illness
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Employment, Family Health, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, New York, Risk Factors, Sick Role, Socioeconomic Factors, Stress, Psychological, Suicide, Logistic Models, Case-Control Studies
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